Stardom
by barbiecat16
Summary: "All I need is one more chance," said Cato huskily. I shivered as his warm breath tickled my ear and neck. "I tried forgetting you.. tried falling for someone else, but I just can't." I shook my head bitterly. "Cato, if we could control who we loved in this world, the world would be a much happier place." Cato x Katniss MODERN
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it! If you don't well.. no flames please but constructive criticism is very appreciated. I'm sorry if this is extremely similar to another fanfic, I'm not attempting to plagiarize anyone's work. I know that the modern day AU has already been done, but please read~ enjoy :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games Series or the characters. The lovely and awesome Suzanne Collins does.**

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**Katniss POV:**

"Katniss!"

I woke up from the loud and rude shouting from my best friend and agent Madge. I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window of my bedroom. Madge was standing on my doorstep with her hand on her hips looking crossly up at me.

"KATNISS EVERDEEN, THIS IS IMPORTANT GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE AND OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" she commenced her screaming and began to attempt breaking down my door. Madge must have pretty important information if she got to the point of swearing. My golden haired, wide blued eyed friend never sweared, in private or public.

"Okay, okay I'm coming!" I yelled down. Fortunately, Prim was at Summer Camp and mother was at a Missionary Mission in Africa, so no one was home to hear the ear-splitting exchanging in the morning.

I grumbled and stomped down two stories and opened the door. "Geez Madge, this door costs more than your car."

"Whatever, you have enough money to buy all the doors in the world." Madge retorted. She stepped inside and looked around the house. "When was the last time you cleaned this place?"

"Ummm... I don't know... umm... mom cleaned it before she left," I said sheepishly.

"Which was?"

"Two and a half months ago?"

"Katniss, this is bad for your public image. What if a bunch of reporters stormed in here saw this dump of a house? You should seriously hire a housekeeper or something."

"Madge, you know how I feel about my personal space," I said, a little annoyed that she brought that subject up. I was surprisingly an unsocial person. I rarely extended my friendship to anybody, and was very sensitive about my personal living space.

Madge rolled her big eyes dramatically. "Anyways, I'm not here to argue with you about your extremely messy and unsocial lifestyle." She seemed to brighten up when she remembered what she was really here about. She grabbed both of my hands and pulled me into one of her death hugs.

It was now my turn to roll my eyes at her sudden mood change. Madge could go from being angry to the happiest girl in the world in a split second.

"Katniss, remember the main role in The Hunger Games movie you auditioned for..." Madge was interrupted by my hysterical screaming. I leaped from her arms and squealed.

"OMG DID I GET IT? DID I GET IT? DID I? DID I?"

"Woah, calm your horses, Kat," Madge's expression turned serious. "Katniss, I don't know how to tell you this, but ..."

My face fell. "I didn't get it, did I?" I said, my voice full of disappointment.

"Ummm... well... YOU DID!" Madge squealed, jumping up and down.

I looked up at her confused. "What?"

Madge rolled her eyes... again... "YOU GOT THE ROLE KAT! YOU'RE PLAYING JENNIFER LAWRENCE IN THE MOVIE!"

I hugged her and we both began to jump up and down.

Madge stopped jumping and sighed. "Kat, the male actor for Josh was announced today..." She looked down and refused to meet my eyes.

"Madge..." I said, lifting my chin with my finger. "who is it?"

"You're not going to like this."

"C'mon it can't be that bad. I mean I kissed James Doadtut before and he kissed horribly. I felt like I was being licked by a puppy... It can't be worse than him."

Madge giggled at the memory. I had stormed out, leaving James looking very confused. He had a little misconception that he was the best kisser in the world.

"But Madge, who is it?" I asked sternly.

"Don't freak out Kat."

"Madge..."

"It's Cato Ludwig."

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**im sorry that this is so short and boring... i promise that it will get much better as the story goes on. 3 reviews... can we do it? Promise to update either today or tomorrow :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Harro again! I said that I would update today or tomorrow so I did! I was reading over the chapter and I got a bit upset because it showed no signs of anyone reading it or even the fanfic existing... then my wifi got cut so about 30 minutes later I went to my inbox and what I saw made me so happy it inspired me to update... thxs to everyone who reviewed! I got the double the amount I asked for :)) Read and Review~ Enjoy/**

**Before every chapter, I'm going to try to put all the names of the people who either favorited, reviewed, or put the story on alert. Please let me know if you don't want your name up here for any reason. **

**thepinkmartini**

**InLoveWithHG**

**Bellanator116**

**catnissxoforever**

**criticderomance**

**TheHungerGames321**

**abugsaunt**

**Madmoonaas**

**raphaella2000**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters from the book. They belong to the amazing and lovely Suzanne Collins. btw if I ever forget to put the disclaimer on, I'm sorry, a nice reminder would be nice :)**

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My face went from ecstatic to what Madge calls the "Katniss Face" in a split second. The Katniss Face is me with my jaw set, a stubborn frown on my face, and my grey eyes turning stormy, shooting darts at anyone in my range. All the fluffy, bubbly feeling inside me was gone... all because of the stupid, arrogant bastard Cato Ludwig.

In front of me Madge muttered, "Haymitch said that you would be like this."

Haymitch was my Agent Number Two. Madge, with her curvy body, flirty smiles, and outgoing ways usually did the socializing and friend making for me. Haymitch on the other hand, had my personality: sullen, unfriendly, but great at masking emotions when he needed to. He usually handed the serious work where intimidation was needed.

I stared daggers at Madge. "Where is Haymitch anyways?"

Madge snorted, "He took the nearest bottle and popped it as soon as he heard that Cato was going to play Josh. Probably flat out drunk by now."

"Well, I need him to go to the stupid directors and tell them that they either reconsider their decision for Josh or the Katniss Everdeen is refusing the role." I said stubbornly. I was probably one the best-going singer/actress in the world. Eight Grammy Awards, being voted the hottest actress of the century, five Oscars, international fame, modeling for brand name clothing lines, and countless other achievements and I was only 17 and was in the career for 3 years.

"Katniss, you know that they will never take Cato out. He's almost as famous as you."

"Then I will be leaving and saving them the trouble."

"Katniss! It's time for you to move on," said Madge sounding exasperated. "This movie is said to break all the movie records in history! This is like a new milestone for you!"

"I have moved on!" I yelled. "I moved on 18 months ago!"

"No you haven't Katniss," said Madge, shaking her head sadly. "Deep inside you still care about him. You're still bitter about what happened."

I was about to retort when Madge's phone rang. She sighed and answered it. There was a muttering from the other line, which I couldn't make out. Madge sighed again and said, "Yep, she refused. Exactly what you expected." The other voice muttered again and this time Madge handed it to me. "Haymitch wants to talk to you."

I shook my head hastily. I didn't feel like being reprimanded by a drunk Haymitch. Madge ignored my protest and handed it to me firmly. I rolled my eyes and relented. "What do you want?" I snarled.

Haymitch chuckled, "Having a bad day sweetheart?" He surprisingly sounded somber. Hmmm. Strange.

I ignored his comment. "Aren't you supposed to be drunk?"

"I only took one swing. Anyways you need me."

"Whatever, Haymitch. I know what you are going to say and my answer is no." I could practically see Haymitch rolling his eyes from the other line.

"I expected that. Sweetheart, you're doing exactly what he wants you to do. Chickening out. Show him that you're over him, that you don't want him, and you don't need him."

I considered his comment. I was dropping out just like he wanted me to. I was being a pawn in his game and I refused to do that 18 months ago. But the Hunger Games were to have a lot of mushy, romantic scene between Jennifer and Josh (**The Hunger Games in this fanfic are going to be more romantic than the original**). I wasn't sure if I could let him come 20 ft. near me without me clawing out his eyes. 'But remember you moved on? You won't acknowledge his existence. You don't care about him.' a soft voice reminded me in my mind.

"Fine, but tell him he better not press charges when his eyeballs are rolling on the ground." With that I hung up and slammed the phone on a table. Effie, my schedule manager just happened to walk in my door at the moment.

"Hey, that's a new phone!" Madge complained.

"Katniss! That's mahogany!" squealed Effie at the same time, who walked in the door with her outrageous pink hair and an interesting... choice of fashion.

I growled and dumped the phone in Madge's hand. I began to stomp back upstairs to change for the archery station. Archery always helped me relieve some stress, which was exactly what I needed right now.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Effie squeaked. "We have a big, big day ahead of us!"

I frowned, "Effie, how did you get here so fast?"

"As soon as Haymitch heard the happy news, he called Caesar Flickerman and scheduled a interview! We have about 3 hours to get to his studio and for your prep team to pretty you up!" she said cheerfully.

I growled again. Haymitch knew that I would fall for the "You don't need Cato" card. He knew that I would accept the role. So he scheduled everything in advance making sure that I couldn't chicken out the last moment. He had everything planned and the last element to his plan was me falling for his trap. I fumed, Haymitch was going to face the wrath of Katniss Everdeen.

My good morning ruined by my two agents, I stomped upstairs angrily. I stepped into my gigantic walk-in closet and looked for something to wear. The studio was about one hour from where I lived and I was going to be in the car the entire time... so nothing too fancy. After 10 minutes, I picked out a beige, knit cardigan, opened at the front, a simple, loose white top, and a tight dandelion colored skirt that covered about one-third of my upper thighs, all from Forever 21. Forever 21 was in the tight circle of my favorite brands that included Hollister, American Eagle, and Guess. I was never a one to favor ridiculously expensive clothes and I also wanted to represent the majority of the teenage population. Since it was the middle of summer, the heat in Malibu was scorching for my eyes, so I quickly grabbed a pair of aviator sunglasses and stepped into the limo that was waiting for me outside gates.

An hour later, I had been stripped of my clothes and was in a pink, fluffy bathrobe (which I strongly suspected was picked by Effie) with three people who introduced themselves as Venia, Octavia, and Flavius, working on my hair and makeup. The trio diligently went about their work with only a small chatter amongst themselves. Suddenly, the door banged open and Madge burst in, her face flushed. "Katniss, good news!" she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. "Cinna was in town and he has this awesome, killer dress which he planned for his showcase, but he said that you could wear it. Said that you would look better in it than a plastic model."

My face split into a wide grin which caused an angry shout of protest from Flavius who was applying nude colored gloss on my lips. Cinna was an old friend of mine. He was one of the people who made it possible for me to move on from Cato. Last time I had seen him was 4 months ago. After my fiery debut (which Cinna planned), 2 months after my breakup with Cato, his fame rose and now he barely had any time to spare.

After squirming in my seat for what seemed like forever, I was freed from the clutches of my prep team. I was lead into another room by Madge who quickly scurried somewhere else after opening the door for me. Sitting on a black, leather couch was Cinna with his traditional golden eyeliner. I leaped into his arms, incasing him in a tight hug. He chuckled, "I missed you too Katniss. But if you keep on squeezing the life out of me like that, I'll suffocate to death before you can see that dress."

I let go and sat down next to Cinna on the couch.

"Close your eyes," he instructed.

I heard a crinkling of a bag soon followed by a thump on the floor. "You can open your eyes now," said Cinna.

What I saw left my mouth open in wonder and shock. The dress was metallic, literally. The skin of the dress looked like scales of a silver fish and light bounced of every area of the dress. The shoulder blades curved up menacingly. It looked... godly...

"Is that for me?" I stammered.

"Well, it certainly isn't for me," said Cinna, a faint smile on his face. "Do you like it?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Well then, let's see how you look in it."

The dress was quite heavy and tight, but flexible. I looked in the mirror and gaped. Staring at me was a stunning women who looked like a goddess. The dress looked like an armor. My skin was shimmering in the light. My eyes were creepy, the stormy, gray orbs outlined by a thick layer of black. But a thought struck my mind. Why was Cinna aiming for an intimidating persona? Didn't we want to charm the people? The question must have reflected on my face because he said, "Haymitch requested it."

That was a good enough answer for me.. for now.. Haymitch might be a sarcastic drunk, but he was smart. Just then, the door opened and a middle-aged man came in and said, "You're on in 4 minutes. Follow me."

I followed him through the winding hallway. Finally we reached the studio, and boy, it was loud. The Caesar Flickerman Show was the most popular talk show in America and people paid thousands of dollars to be part of an audience in one of them. People were chanting my name, screaming for my appearance. Suddenly a deep voice called, "Sweetheart."

I spun around and came face to face with Haymitch. "What?"

"Just wanted to say good luck."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Haymitch was not a person for compassion.

"C'mon, give your agent a hug."

I rolled my eyes and half-heartedly put my arms around Haymitch. Then, he began whispering furiously in my ear. "There are going to be questions about you and Cato. Answer them as coldly as you can. Show them that you have no interest in him. Intimidate them." He pulled away and pushed me toward the middle-aged man who was looking at us in annoyance. He motioned to Caesar who gave me a tiny wave from his red seat on the stage. The Caesar Flickerman Show anthem began to play and he stood up, opened his arms and shouted, "Welcome Ladies and Gentleman! Our guest today is no other than Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire!"

The middle-aged man gave me a light push toward the stage. I put on a bright, big smile and stepped on, blowing kisses and waving at the crowd. The crowd went ecstatic when they saw my attire. I thought that they were loud before, that was nothing compared to what I was hearing now.

I sat down on the red seat next to Caesar. "My, my, you look absolutely stunning today." he commented.

"Thanks Caesar. I love your hair!" I giggled, which was highly unlike me. Today Caesar had dyed his hair bright blue. 'He and Effie would be perfect for each other' I thought. They both had an obsession with dying their hair color.

"Everything was in a rush because it was all so last minute, but I couldn't refuse Katniss Everdeen an interview," he said, winking at me. "Anyways, let's get straight to the point. How do you feel about getting the role of Jennifer Lawrence in the new Hunger Games movie?"

"Well, honestly Caesar, I didn't have a very good day today."

Caesar leaned forward expectantly. "Tell us, Katniss."

"Well, first of all, I did not appreciate my door being demolished and waking up to that sound. I looked knowingly at Madge, who was in the VIP section, looking up at me, looking amused by the situation.

Caesar chuckled, "Go on." He gave me a look that clearly wanted me to talk about the subject that I didn't want to bring up

I took a deep breath. I wasn't going to go beating around the bush when obviously, everyone wanted me to talk about it. "Well, the second reason was... let's just say that my path crossed with someone that I never wanted to meet again in my life."

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**this was obviously longer than the first chapter, although i can't say that it was more interesting... Next chapter will be Cato's POV, the rest of the interview, and part of the reason why Katniss is so damaged by her breakup with Cato.. I WILL TRY TO UPDATE ASAP! The beginning chapters are probably not going to be packed with action because I'll be trying to define the characters and the situation.. If you are interested, the two links below are what inspired Katniss's clothes. Can we go for 4 more reviews? Thxs :D**

Katniss's Dresses: .

Katniss's Clothes (brand request by InLoveWithHG i hope u like it): ?BR=f21&Category=sweater_cardigans&ProductID=2015035560&VariantID=


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyy again~ OMG you guys are just too nice to me :)))) Those reviews, follows, and favorites bring VERY VERY BIG smiles on my face. Thanks to the people below who reviewed, followed, or favorited Stardom on Chapter 2. If I missed anyone please don't hesitate to tell me because if I find out later... I will be feeling very guilty...**

**Bellanator116**

**Hungergamesforlife47 **

**Cato Lover 101**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters. The awesome and lovely Suzanne Collins does. **

**Read, Enjoy, and Review~**

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**Cato POV:**

I stepped out of my victory shower with only a towel wrapped around my waist. I smirked at my reflection in the mirror. I knew that I would get the Josh Hutcherson role ever since I auditioned for it. Peeta Mellark, the runner-up, had absolutely zero chance of winning against this hot hunk. I mean, seriously, who could resist these guns? I gave my reflection a sexy grin and flexed my biceps before stepping outside to my bedroom.

I pulled on some pants and stepped out into the living room to watch some TV before the ladies or the paparazzi started swarming me (I'm not sure which one is the more vicious...) . Just then, my phone buzzed and the large, beefy, purplish face of my agent popped up in my caller ID. Groaning, I picked up. I didn't want my moody agent to ruin my glorious moment.

"Cato, flip to channel 64 right now." he commanded.

"Why?"

"Katniss is on," he answered, annoyance creeping into his voice.

Instantly, my TV was on channel 64, and I stared mesmerized at the beautiful women in front of me. I felt like an idiot letting such a rare gem slip through my fingers. For the past 18 months, there wasn't a day when I didn't think about her: her dainty smiles, adorable sarcasm, infuriating eye-rolling, her inability to clean... I shook my head. What was I thinking? "It wasn't your fault." I told myself firmly out loud. "It was for the best, for her and for you."

I focused my attention back onto the TV screen. I saw Katniss looking down at her hands with a small frown on her face. She said something that I didn't catch and the audience gasped dramatically.

Caesar leaned forward with an excited air. "Details, details!" he exclaimed. "You're killing us Katniss! What are your true feeling about Cato right now?"

I scrunched my face up in confusion. When did I become involved with this? I strained my ears to keep listening to her interview without missing a syllable.

"Woah, Caesar," she answered with a good natured laugh. "Hold your horses! How do you know I'm talking about Cato? I could be talking about Haymitch; how this movie is going to make me spend almost every hour of my life with him for the next 9 months."

"Well," grinned Caesar mischievously, "since you agreed to the Jennifer Lawrence role, maybe you have certain intentions to get back together with a certain male, who you did date for about 2 years."

A role? Wait, the Jennifer Lawrence role? This was bad, very bad. I haven't seen her for a long time. How was I supposed to face her again, let alone be romantically involved with her whether it was in a movie or not? I mean, even I admit that what I did to her was pretty harsh. I turned my attention to the screen, eager to learn more. What the hell is going on?

I saw Katniss stiffen for a second at the mention of the breakup. Noticing her uncomfortableness, Caesar quickly covered up, "Of course, if you want to keep matters to yourself, that's fine with us..." There was a glint in his eyes that told me that it would not be fine if Katniss didn't spill. The audience gave sounds of protest at Katniss's hesitation to talk. Honestly, I was curiously about what she wanted to say too.

Suddenly, Katniss seemed to recover, and her face broke into a wide smile. "Actually Caesar, I'm glad that you brought that subject up."

I frowned in confusion. Caesar obviously reflected my feelings because he raised his blue eyebrows and questioned, "You are?"

Katniss gave a small nod. "I think it's time that I revealed my true feelings about Cato."

"I'm glad you've decided to open up," said Caesar, excitement etched on his face. "We all know the details of the breakup. How did you feel after that?" He leaned forward in expectation. "I know that I would be shocked if my boyfriend, and no I'm not gay, people," the audience gave a hoot of laughter. "who was my date to his movie premiere just the day before, broke up with me the next day, and moved on to another girl just four hours later."

I gaped at the television. Hearing the facts from another person made me seem like a heartless brute. 'But you are a heartless brute because you did do those things to her..' a soft voice said in my mind. I was frustrated that I let myself think those thoughts. Yes, I admit, what I did was horrible, but it wasn't my idea to do so.

Katniss took a deep breath. Although, her expression was calm and composed, I could still depict pain behind those lush, gray eyes. "I was surprised and angry at first. But then I realized that there was no point grieving about something in the past. If he didn't want me, then I guess he lost a hell of a girlfriend." She winked seductively at Caesar. 'That wink was supposed to be for me!' I thought furiously, with a pang of jealousy in my heart.

Caesar groaned comically, "C'mon don't do that to me! My wife's watching!" The audience exploded in laughter. After the crowd calmed down Caesar continued, "To tell you the truth Katniss, I did not enjoy seeing you mope around miserably for two months... You looked so.. broken..." There was true sadness behind the playful mask of Caesar Flickerman, which was highly unusual. A heavy silence hung around the room like a mist. Now, I could practically see the hate and flames I would be getting after the interview.

"Well, Caesar, my heart was toyed, then played, then was shattered into a million pieces," said Katniss, breaking the awkward silence. "But you know what? I've moved on. I let go of the past. As my fiery debut at the Grammys probably explained, I'm an independent person who does not rely on other people to complete my life. I'm Katniss Everdeen, and no one messes with Katniss Everdeen." she finished firmly, with a stubborn look in her eyes.

"Then, I wish you the best." Caesar said solemnly. "Ladies and gentleman, I present you..."

"Wait, I have one more thing to say!" Katniss interrupted with a wild look in her eyes. "A message for Cato actually." My heart leapt at the prospect that she was going to speak directly to me. She stared directly at the camera, her stormy, hard gray eyes showing no emotion but hardness. Her face was set in a calm but with a determined air. Her blazing eyes seemed into bore into my icy, blue ones. "Cato, I want to thank you for what you have done for me. You taught me that life isn't fair and there will be times when it will be hard to stand back up after a fall. Your betrayal hardened me and prepared me for harder times in the future. Because of you, I have become strong. So, thank you." she said coldly. The room was deadly silent. Katniss broke it by a small cough as an indication to Caesar that this interview was officially over.

Caesar stood up awkwardly and cleared his throat. "So ladies and gentleman, I present you Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire! May your flames burn forever and we wish you the best of luck!" Katniss gave a winning smile as if the little speech seconds ago never happened. The audience gave a deafening roar and she walked confidently to the back stage, her face glowing and shoulders thrown back with a proud air. She looked back once more and threw a smirk at the cameras, which I was pretty sure was meant for me.

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**So what would you guys prefer? Longer chapters, slower updates or shorter chapters (like chapters 1 and 3) and faster updates? Also, if Katniss was to date another guy which one would you prefer: Peeta, Gale, or Finnick? PM me or leave a review about it! btw if you guys have requests, feel free to contact me about them and I will try my best to fulfill them to the best of my abilities. I can't make any promises that it will be how you wanted it to be, but I will try my best :) **remember to review b/c they make me super happy and have extra motivation** Can we try for 7 reviews? ****Thanks, until next time~**


	4. Chapter 4

**HEY~ Thanks for your amazing reviews :) It seemed like no one supported Katniss and Gale so that's out of the question... So far Finnick is winning! Thanks to those below who reviewed, followed, or favorited (or all of the above) Stardom. My motivation comes from you guys :)**

**lala xx**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hungers Games or any of it's characters. The ROSSOME (as Paige Mellark-Lynch says it lol) Suzanne Collins does :)**

**Warning: May have some mild language. Blame a hyper Peeta and a moody Johanna.**

**Read, Enjoy, and Review!**

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**Peeta's POV**

My face fell in disappointment as my agent Delly Cartwright delivered the news. I didn't have a lot of hopes from the beginning, and was really surprised when Cato and I both made it to the final two. Although, Cato was very attractive, I thought he didn't have the personality to play Josh. Even the directors said, that I matched Josh's personality perfectly.

Delly advised me to watch some TV to distract myself from the moment. She told me to that Katniss was on Channel 64 in the Caesar Flickerman Talk Show if I was interested. I turned it on just in time to hear Katniss icily say, "Cato, I want to thank you for what you have done for me. You taught me that life isn't fair and there will be times when it will be hard to stand back up after a fall. Your betrayal hardened me and prepared me for harder times in the future. Because of you, I have become strong. So, thank you." Wait what? It hit me that if I didn't get the role, Cato Ludwig must have. And Katniss was playing Jennifer which meant... "Holy shit!" I screamed, jumping out of the seat. A string of swear words crossed my mind. As much as Katniss acted like it, she wasn't ready to face him again.

I banged my head against the wall. How could I be so selfish, drowning in my disappointment, when Katniss, the love of my life, needed me?

Finnick, my best friend and roommate burst into the living room. "What happened?" he demanded, gaping at me banging my head on the wall.

"I'm so selfish!" I screamed and banged my head even harder.

"Peeta, stop, stop, no STOP! STOP BANGING YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL!" He wrestled me to the sofa and made me sit down. "Peeta what's wrong?"

"Katniss needs me!" I said frantically, "And me being a selfish git was only thinking about myself and didn't even give her a thought until I turned on the TV!"

Finnick laughed, "Seriously? You are over heads and heels in love with that girl, Peeta."

I glared at him, "This is no laughing matter, Finnick. What if it was Annie in Katniss's shoes? What would you do Annie had to film a romantic movie with a dude that shattered her heart? What if she falls for him again and he plays her AGAIN?"

At the mention of Annie, Finnick quickly became somber. Finnick used to have a HUGE crush on Katniss, but that disappeared when he met her friend Annie Cresta. "Peeta, call Annie and Johanna. The best we can do right now is to give her emotional support."

I quickly scrambled out of my seat and dialed Johanna's number. She picked up instantly. "How long did you take to figure it out?" she asked sarcastically.

"Johanna, cut the sarcasm, Katniss needs us. Meet us at the..."

"We're already there, smartass. Just waiting for her to make an appearance now, which she will in about 30 minutes."

"Oh." I was at loss for words. I heard the phone being passed on to another person.

"Hey Peeta." called the angelic voice of Annie. "If you start right now, you should be here before Katniss comes out."

"Thanks Annie. It's nice to talk to a person who is actually considerate about my feelings."

"I heard that!" screamed Johanna from the other line.

Finnick chuckled beside me. "Tell Annie, that we'll be there, soon. And give her my love."

I passed on the message, without the love part. I hung up and turned around to face Finnick, in his underwear... "Umm Finnick, maybe some clothes?" I stammered.

Finnick struck a "sexy" pose. "Do you find this," he asked gesturing to his body, "distracting?"

"Umm yes?" Finnick smirked and went back into his room to change.

Shaking my head, I went into the kitchen to stuff as many cheese buns in a pastry box as possible. When satisfied with the amount, I went down to my silver Lamborghini to wait for Finnick who came what seemed like hours later in a tight navy v-neck shirt that accentuated his abs and muscles and a pair of beige skinnies.

"Took you long enough." I muttered.

"C'mon, I have to express Annie."

"Well, I'll tell you what won't impress her." I glared, "It's when you're not there when her best friend needs us."

Finnick jumped into the car without a word. "Hurry up!" he yelled.

I rolled my eyes, "Says the person who..."  
"Just go!"

I started the car and raced to the studio. I checked my speedometer which read a 100 mph. I ignored Finnick's protests and sped towards the tall building. Minutes later, we entered the room, panting, trying to catch our breaths.

Johanna just glared at us and Annie jumped into Finnick's arms. After awkwardly watching them snog each other, I attempted to start a conversation with Johanna.

"So, how's your day?" I asked friendly.

"Shut up." she muttered.

* * *

**Katniss's POV**

I walked away from the stage towards Haymitch, feeling a giant weight being lifted off my shoulders.

Haymitch grunted and said, "Good job, sweetheart." I swear I saw his eyes moisten up before he took me out of the stage into the room where Cinna gave me my dress.

"Cinna left so don't expect see him there." Haymitch muttered. "Just take the dress off and leave it on the couch and he'll pick it up later. With that, he opened the door and pushed me inside.

Peeta was pacing the room while Johanna was glaring in disgust at Finnick and Annie who were making out in the corner of the room. Peeta's eyes opened in surprise and Johanna's scowl broke into a smile. Finnick and Annie jumped apart and Annie blushed while Finnick smiled cockily at me. "Katniss! How are you?" Peeta embraced me and I felt a sense of security take over my jumbled mind.

"I'm fine Peeta." I laughed, looking at his concerned face and a large bruise forming on his forehead.

My hand instantly went over to his bruise. "What happened to you?" I asked.

Finnick cracked up from the corner, "He was banging his..."

"I banged my on the wall when I woke up in the morning." Peeta interrupted. He gave Finnick a glare and smiled at me. "I got something for you. It's in the car, I'll get it." He left the room, but not without giving a warning glance to Finnick.

As soon as his footsteps were out of earshot, Annie squealed and exclaimed, "He is so in love with you!"

Johanna rolled her eyes, "Yeah, a sappy, romantic fool. But anyways," Her expression turned serious, "Katniss, are you okay?"

"I told you guys, I'm fine!" I insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that."

"I seriously am!"

Finnick who had been watching the exchange with an amused expression stepped in. "Katniss, anyone who knows you can tell that you are not."

Annie rushed to my side and put her arms around me. "But we'll be here for you all the way."

"Thanks guys." I said, giving up on arguing about whether I was okay or not. I moved on or did I? I couldn't deny that there were times I missed him. Heck, sometimes, I even missed his big ego.

"You know what we should do?" Finnick proposed. "We should make Cato jealous."

I scoffed, "How? It's not like he has feelings for me or anything."

Johanna ignored my comment. "You know Finny, that's the best idea you ever had in your life."

"You guys, as much as I love the thought of revenge, it's never going to happen." I said.

Finnick opened his mouth to retort when the door opened and Peeta stepped in. In his arms was a giant box of what smelled like... "CHEESE BUNS!" I screamed. I tore the box from Peeta's arms and opened it. Inside were about fifty cheese buns, all fresh and warm, probably recently baked in the morning. I reached for one when Johanna slapped my hands.

"No!" Johanna commanded. "We're going out to eat lunch in the neighborhood. If you take one, you'll never stop."

I growled and lunged for one. No one interfered with my cheese buns. Unfortunately, Annie was quicker and handed the box to Finnick, whose sea green eyes twinkled with merriment. "Sorry babe." he said apologetically.

"Traitors," I muttered. "Boys, get out! I need to change!" I pushed Peeta and Finnick out the door.

Johanna held up my Forever 21 outfit that I wore to the interview. "You can't wear this out in the neighborhood. Everybody will know it's you."

"How? I bought that like 2 days ago so no one saw me in it before."

"Someone took a picture of you entering the studio, now the picture is all over the internet." said Annie, showing me a picture of me walking into the studio from her phone. "That's why I brought these." She held up a gray and white striped, long sleeve shirt from Hollister, white shorts from American eagle, and pair of navy toms.

I gratefully put the clothes and put on my sunglasses. I spun around and stuck a model pose.

"Totally chick and normal," approved Johanna.

"Let's go then!" said Annie excitedly.

Finnick and Peeta were waiting at the back door. "We're going to sneak out," whispered Peeta. I laughed at Finnick's and Peeta's disguises. Finnick had on a pair of sunglasses that practically screamed "I'M FINNICK ODAIR!" and Peeta had on a baseball cap, which was totally pointless because his baby blue eyes, his most attractive feature, was still visible from under the flap.

Annie shook her head at their appearances. "Not my fault if we get trampled by paparazzis."

We stepped out into the sun. We almost made it across the street past the crowd that was gathered in front of the entrance of the studio waiting for us, when someone screamed, "It's Finnick Odair!" We tried to walk nonchalant to the comment when someone yelled, "That's Johanna Mason!" Then everyone started screaming all our names.

Peeta grabbed my hand. "Run to my car!" he yelled.

"No, you dumb-ass!" screamed Johanna. "Go to my car. Your Lamborghini only has two seats!"

"But my beautiful car!" whined Peeta. "They ruin it!"

"Just run!" yelled Annie. "I'll have someone fetch your car later!"

We all sprinted towards Johanna's red four seat convertible. We piled ourselves in, and gasped for breath. The crowd behind us was catching up. "Step on the gas!" yelled Finnick who was sitting in the front seat. Johanna growled and raced to the highway and didn't slow down until the crowd was out of sight. When I regained my composure, I realized that Peeta and I were still holding hands. I pulled away but Peeta said, "Don't. I like it this way." I smiled at him and let my hands be stroked by Peeta's large ones until we reached Peeta's house. "When's your first day of filming?" he asked.

"Umm.." I racked my brain for details. "July 15th at 8 in the morning." I answered.

Peeta's eyes widened in surprise. "I have filming for my new music video on that day at the same time." he said happily. "Why don't I pick you up and we can go down together?" he asked hopefully.

"Peeta, your house is 40 minutes away from mine. You would have to drive up 40 minutes and drive back down an hour, which totals up to an hour and forty minutes of driving at 6 in the morning." I said laughing.

Peeta shrugged, "I don't care as long as I get to spend time with you."

I blushed, "You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, then. We have a date." I winked at Peeta as he got out of the car. He blushed and ran toward his house.

Finnick followed suite, chuckling as he shook his head. "Catch you guys later." he said, before shutting the car door before him.

Johanna continued driving up to my house. "Notice how neither of them said thank you." she muttered. Annie and I laughed at Johanna's moodiness.

To lighten up the mood I asked, "How is your relationship with Finnick, Annie?"

Annie's eyes lit up at the mention of Finnick. "Fine, he's been acting a bit a strange lately, though. He seems... distracted." Her eyes instantly clouded up with concern.

"I'm sure he's fine, Annie." I consoled. "Probably just stressed about his Speedo commercial."

"Yeah, that must be it." said Annie thoughtfully after a long pause. The rest of the ride was silent. I thought about how gently Peeta stroked my hands. I realized I missed having someone physically comfort me. It gave me a sense of security that neither Johanna's sarcasm or Annie's gentleness could offer. Soon, we reached my house and I got out of the car and yelled a thank you to Johanna and Annie before running up to my bedroom to collapse on my bed.

* * *

**Cato's POV**

I turned off the TV and stared at the screen. That was something that I didn't expect. With that thought, a heavy realization washed over me like an bucket of icy cold water. I still had feelings for Katniss Everdeen. No, cross that out. I was still madly and undeniably in love with Katniss Everdeen. And I was going to get her back.

* * *

**ooh~ so cato still has feelings for katniss/ don't worry katnick fans your time will come soon... i have something planned for the next chapter/ keep in mind that this is a catoxkatniss fanfic. It seems like my updates are getting slower.. i have a lot of things going on (lessons, homework, school work, volunteering, etc) so plz understand... **hint: reviews make me update faster~** just saying hehe ^.^ maybe i'm over-aiming but can we try for 10? thanks! until next time~**


	5. Chapter 5

**I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS CHAPTER 5! I honestly did not think I would make it this far. As a tiny celebration, I left a personal shout out to everyone who reviewed or followed/favorited on Chapter 4 :) I would do all four chapters except I had a feeling people would get a little annoyed at the length of the author's note. Anyways, all reviews and other forms of support were greatly appreciated :))**

**abugsaunt- **i tried to portray a sweet peeta and i'm glad that the message came across :) although it might not last very long in future chapters.. **hint hint**

**vampirebooklover09- **that's what I'm aiming for except it might have a little twist hehe ^.^

**thehungergamesemma- **awww :) thanks that means a lot

**vballhitter10- **glad you enjoyed it :D cato and katniss will have their first encounter soon/

**SAOfan- **i'm glad you like Stardom ^.^ thank you sooooo~ much for helping me with my summary/ it's so much better now :)

**AHeart99- **i aim to please :D i hope my future chapters are as enjoyable/

**thepinkmartini- **thanks for continuously supporting me throughout my story since chapter one :) your support means a lot to me/ i'm glad that you liked it

**I-piTy-Da-FoOl- **no problem ;P i try to show my appreciation to my supporters as much as possible/

**Katniss-Will-Drown-Your-Cat- **finnick and katniss will soon make their appearance :)

**Alis-May- **i really appreciate your support :) thanks for following this fanfic :D

**lean238**- thanks for favoriting this fanfic :) i hope to see more of you as i continue stardom ^.^

**Guest**- i hope my future chapters make you excited too :) guests don't tend to review, so thanks for taking your time to leave a review ^.^

**ForgottenAngelOfTheShadows-** thanks :) i'm glad you like it/

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games Trilogy or anyone of it's characters... Suzanne Collins does. ^.^**

**Read, Enjoy, and Review~**

* * *

**Finnick's POV**

I lay on my bed surveying the darkness around me. I knew that recently I've been acting really strangely around Annie. She needed someone who could give her the sense of security, I could never give. I was too... flighty for a long term relationship. Finnick Odair and long term relationships just didn't click. That romantic fire and passion we had when we met was gone. She was like the younger sister I never had. I felt like I needed to protect her, not be romantically in a relationship with her. The fire was gone and I felt this sibling love towards Annie. The fire... maybe that was the problem... I sat up on my bed burdened with the prospect of morning. I knew what I had to do and it wasn't going to be pretty.

* * *

**Katniss's POV**

I paced the room, my hands clasped behind my back, my face etched with anxiety. I looked over at the clock.. thirty more minutes. Prim was coming back from her summer camp today. I couldn't go early because an orange and black Bugatti street parked with Katniss Everdeen peacefully sipping her morning coffee was so not going to attract attention and attention was the last thing I needed right now. I would have gladly taken another car, but all of them were in car service. I also tried renting a car, but couldn't because of this stupid underage thing and Haymitch (my temporary legal guardian) was helpfully drunk at the time.

"I should just fire him and get another agent who never gets drunk," I muttered to myself. But deep inside I knew that I could never do that. I never admitted this to anyone, but ever since my dad died in the war, Haymitch became a father figure to me, although he didn't serve the best example.

After 30 minutes, or should I say thirty centuries, I hopped in my car and drove up the road passing Annie's and Johanna's house. I was soon met by the infamous Los Angeles traffic jam. Leaning my head against the window, I took out my smartphone to check my email. I sorted through a bunch of spam emails and clicked on my subscription from a celebrity gossip magazine. As much as I hated gossiping, I couldn't be ignorant about my surrounding. The headline was the usual breakup stuff, then underneath it was a article about my interview yesterday, then this new craze with duct tape, then what? I scanned my eyes up to the headline. My face paled when I read it: Is it the end of Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta? I clicked it to read on when a loud honk interrupted my thoughts.

"Just because you are a freaking billionaire doesn't mean you can stop in the middle of the damn highway!" yelled the person who had honked behind me.

I looked up and saw that the traffic had cleared and I was causing a major traffic dilemma. Blushing a deep shade of red, I sped towards the pickup building. As I entered the local street, I saw a huge crowd of reporters gathered at the entrance of the building. Amongst a sea of black, a familiar blonde head caught my attention. Icy blue eyes met gray and I gaped in horror at the sight in front of me.

I gave the signal to make a U-turn when the blonde head called out loudly, "Speaking of the devil, there's my co-star Katniss Everdeen in her Bugatti!"

I groaned as the cameramen adverted their attention from the blonde head and started swarming towards me. I pulled over and examined him above the hoard of reporters. He still had that cocky grin and his well-sculptured body. His eyes were piercing as usual and on his arm... was a girl. I got out of the car and the crowd started squeezing me to death. Frustrated with the situation I bellowed, "If you don't get your sorry asses out of here in five seconds, I'm suing all of you for physical and mental assault to a celebrity!"

Everyone knew when Katniss Everdeen said she was going to sue someone, she did it no matter the circumstance. Some glaring, some looking scared, some looking happy that they had an excuse to go home, the crowd dispersed and in two minutes I stood awkwardly looking at Cato and his girlfriend, whose name I couldn't quite recall. Glitter? Sparkles? Shiny?

Cato ran his fingers through his spiked blonde hair. "Hey Katniss, nice seeing you here. How are you holding up?" he asked smoothly.

Eighteen months of no contact and all he could say was 'How are you holding up'? "I'm fine." I replied cooly.

The girl next to him fluttered her eyelashes. "Cato, aren't you going to introduce me?" she asked.

"Of course babe. I was just getting to that," he suavely answered, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Glimmer, this is Katniss Everdeen. Katniss, this is Glimmer Sparkles." Yes, Glimmer was the name. Glimmer Sparkles and I had competed for a role many times. I had to admit, she was one hell of an actress.

"Nice to meet you, Glimmer," I said stiffly. I felt a pang of jealousy as Cato began twirling Glimmer's honey blonde hair around his fingers. Glimmer and Cato made a perfect couple. Two beautiful people that perfectly balance each other out. Glimmer's curvy body, emerald eyes, and pink lips matched perfectly with Cato's big muscles and icy blue eyes. Cato and I awkwardly stared at each other. There was a tension in the air that none of us dared to break. Finally Glimmer cleared her throat, "So.. um..."

As if on cue, the green bus of the summer camp program screeched to a stop in front of us. 'Keep your cool' I told myself as I saw Prim loading out of the bus. She was exchanging last minute phone number exchanges with a petite brunette girl.

"It was a pleasure meeting both of you," I said to Glimmer and Cato, "but I have to go." As I passed Cato, I grabbed one of his muscle biceps. He flinched at my touch and looked straight on forward as if I wasn't there. I tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Cato." I extended the 'o' in Cato and watched him shiver involuntarily under my piercing gaze. I let my fingers trail against his arms as I walked towards Prim who was chatting excitedly with the short brunette. "Hey little duck," I called out, forcing myself to sound cheerful.

"Katniss!" Prim ran towards me and put her skinny arms around my waist. "I missed you." she whispered, her face buried in my stomach.

"I missed you too, little duck."

She looked up at me, her bright blue eyes shining with excitement. "Camp was so awesome! Meet my new friend Clove Sparkles," she said pointing to her short friend.

I smiled down at the girl, "Hey, my name is Katniss."

"Yeah, I figured," she replied sarcastically, a scowl gracing her features.

Ignoring her snottiness, I asked, "Your last name is Sparkles?"

"Got a problem with that?" Clove growled, brandishing a camping knife in her hand.

Geez, this girl needed to lay off on her charisma. "No, it's just that you have the same name as Glimmer Sparkles," I said trying not to snap at her.

Clove glanced at Glimmer who was motioning for her to hurry up. "She's my step-sister," she said quietly. "Her mum and my dad just got married recently." She then quickly looked away, and scowled at her hands as if she had said way too much.

It was obvious that Clove didn't get much love at home. I knew a lot of step-kids who were very happy with their new family (or at least happier than with their old ones), but I guess that wasn't Clove's case. Her newly wed dad and her stepmom probably were too infatuated with each other to care for her, and Glimmer was probably too busy caring about her life to give Clove any attention. I saw my old self in Clove. When dad died in the war, my mom shut us out, refusing to get up from bed and barely eating anything. She used to stare blankly at the wall while I tried to manage what money we had left and take care of Prim. At least I had Prim to keep me going, Clove had nobody. The feeling of not being loved is horrible; it changed me to a sullen, sour-faced person. I suddenly felt a rush of affection towards Clove. "I know that Glimmer lives only about a five minute walk away from my house, so you can come over anytime as long as you want," I said gently.

Clove looked suspiciously at my sudden change of voice. "I don't take pity from anyone," she growled.

"I'm not pitying you," I said. When Clove skeptically raised her eyebrows, I continued, "On the second thought, maybe I do because you have to listen to Glimmer whine twenty-four seven about her hair and makeup," I replied playfully.

A smirk broke Clove's guarded features, "I'll think about it. See you around then." She waved at Prim then walked away to fetch her backpack.

Prim slung her blue backpack over her shoulders. "I know she seems really mean, but she's really funny once you get to know her."

I opened my mouth to say something when Prim cut me off. "Let's talk about it on our way home. People are starting to demolish your car."

I looked behind me and saw that it was true. Kids were putting their hands on my car and pressing their nose against the windows. "Geez, do they realize how much that car costs?" I grumbled.

Prim laughed and grabbed my hand. "C'mon, let's go home."

After persuading the kids to step away from the car, we hopped in and drove away.

"Katniss, can I borrow your phone for a second? I want to text Clove." asked Prim.

"Sure, it's in my black clutch."

Prim rummaged in my clutch then triumphantly took out my phone. "Geez Katniss, there's so much trash in there." she commented looking at my clutch.

"You never know when it might come useful," I muttered not taking my eyes off the road.

Prim unlocked the phone and widened her eyes in surprise. "OMG FINNICK DUMPED ANNIE!"

I suddenly remembered the highway honking incident. I stepped on the brake and turned the wheels just in time to take the exit that lead to Annie's house. "Prim read me the article," I commanded.

Prim fumbled with the phone. "So um... " she stammered, "it says the basic rubbish and um... that sources revealed that Finnick Odair had broken it with Annie at about nine in the morning."

"Finnick you self-centered bastard," I cursed under my breath. "Go on."

"Underneath the text shows a picture of you, Peeta, Annie, Finnick, and Johanna. Finnick is holding a giant box in one of his arms with Annie's hand in the other. Johanna seems really pissed. And you are.." Prim looks up at me. "you have explaining to do Katniss. You're holding hands with Peeta, laughing your head off." Prim said sternly.

"Whatever, just go on."

Prim rolled her eyes, "Then it compares and contrasts your relationship with Cato with theirs then it rambles some more and it ends with a dramatic phrase."

"Okay, thanks," I pulled into Annie's front gates. I hastily turned the engine off and sprinted towards the house. I flung the door open and came face to face with a red, puffy eyed Annie, her sea green eyes glaring at me with burning hatred I had never seen from her in my entire life.

* * *

**Glimmer's POV**

I climbed next to Cato in the back of the limo, and pushed Clove to the seat next to the driver. I heard a string of swear words directed toward me and the slamming of a car door. I cuddled up next to Cato and looked up flirtatiously up at him through my dark lashes. "So," I snuggled closer to him, "what's up with you and Everdeen?"

"Nothing," he replied tightly.

I rolled my eyes dramatically, "C'mon, you two just oozed sexual tension that was quite.." I licked my lips, "unnerving."

"Stop being such a slut, Glimmer, " Clove sneered from the front seat.

Cato chuckled besides me. "You know, Clove," he said teasingly, "if you keep that up, I have a feeling we are going to get along very well."

I looked away in annoyance at their silliness. Cato could deny it all he wanted, but he cared for that Everdeen girl, and that girl still cared for him, whether he wanted it or not.

* * *

**How was your Labor Day weekend? Mine was ok... I went down to Canary Row and ate some clam chowder.. that was it :)**

**I didn't want to portray Glimmer as an evil, psycho character, but just as your typical flirty girlfriend. I hope the message came across the right way :) So I hope this chapter was ok.. probably not as dramatic as some of you wanted Cato's and Katniss's first encounter to be, but remember that Cato was in the presence of Glimmer and Katniss wanted to keep her cool for Prim.. **

**I know reviewing can be annoying, but a simple compliment or constructive criticism would be amazing ^.^ **


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's Chapter 6! You guys are sooo~ amazing :D I'm so fortunate to have such super readers :)))))))))))))))**

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**I'm really awfully sorry if I left out anyone. My mind is a mess right now between checking emails through my phone, computer, ipad, and basically using every opportunity I can. Don't be shy to give me a little reminder if I left anyone out :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or any of it's characters.. Suzanne Collins does.**

* * *

**Annie's POV**

I saw Katniss walk into my house in hand with her sister, Prim. Shock registered on her face when she saw my state. I admired Katniss for having the nerve to come in here after what she did. "How dare you come in here?" I said menacingly.

Katniss gaped at me with her mouth open. She looked down at Prim who looked confused as she was. "Prim, get back in the car," she commanded. Prim immediately ran out of the house the door swinging after her.

Katniss pulled me into a hug. "What happened, Annie?"

I shook myself out of her arms. "As if you don't know," I snorted. When Katniss looked genuinely confused, I looked at her in disbelief. "You were dating Finnick behind my back and seducing him to fall in love with you!" I yelled.

"What?!" she yelled back. "Annie Cresta! I've been your friend for 13 years and you think I would do something that low? I thought we were best friends!" Her big, gray eyes brimmed with tears, something that I rarely seen happen. A look of hurt crossed her face and she started walking out the door.

Wait, Finnick said that he thought he was in love with Katniss. I knew that Finnick had a huge crush on her when he was younger. He explained that I was like a sister to him, but Katniss was different. I rushed forward and grabbed one of Katniss's arms. She faced me angrily. "Why do you want to yell at me some more about things that aren't true?" she yelled.

I threw my arms around Katniss. "I'm so sorry," I sobbed, "I was so hurt by his words, that I made assumptions about you. I'm so sorry," I explained through hiccups.

Katniss's gaze softened. "I understand, I've been there too. I was like that when Cato..." Katniss started to break down in tears. After a few seconds she wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry, Annie. I shouldn't be like this, it's just that I met him today when picking up Prim from her summer camp."

Katniss met Cato? "What happened? Did he hurt you?" I asked ferociously.

"No, we just said hi," Katniss said defeatedly. "But I'm not concern here. What happened to you?"

I sat down on the couch and tightly hugged the gigantic teddy bear that Finnick won for me at a fair on our one year anniversary. I took a deep breath and started explaining.

...

_I started making breakfast since my parents were on a cruise in Samoa. My grandpa was out shopping with my grandma so I was all alone in the house. The doorbell rang, and I answered it, looking at a very disheveled Finnick. I guided him on the couch and sat down next to him._

_"You look disturbed Finnick.. What's wrong?" I asked, hoping that I didn't sound too worried. I didn't want to sound like a little girl in front my boyfriend._

_Finnick grabbed both my hands gently. "Annie, we've been together for an year and a half now, the longest I've been with anybody and it has been the best one and half years of my life."_

_I was confused. "What are you trying to say Finnick?"_

_Finnick took a deep breath and looked straight at me, his gorgeous sea green eyes boring into mine. "I don't think we should continue this anymore."_

_"I don't understand Finnick. Did I do something wrong?"_

_Finnick shook his head sadly. "Annie, you've been the sweetest girlfriend I ever had the privilege to date. It's just that... I don't know how to say this."_

_I glared at him angrily, tears trickling down my face. "You've fallen in love with someone else," I finished for him. I knew I should have recognized those signs earlier. _

_"Annie," Finnick said gently, wiping my tears with his hands. "You're like a sister to me. I don't think I'm capable of being in a long term relationship. You need someone who can always be there for you, and I don't think I can do that, at least not in a romantic way."_

_"It's Katniss isn't it?" I demanded._

_"What?" Finnick asked, confusion written on his face._

_"You've fallen in love with Katniss." Finnick looked down at his hands, refusing to meet my eyes. "Of course you did, you're not even denying it!" I shouted angrily. "I thought you were different Finnick. Everyone falls for Katniss's mysterious personality, her curvy body, her long legs, her seductive gray eyes. I was always overshadowed by my gorgeous, perfect friend... until you came along. I thought I finally met someone who appreciated me for who I am."_

_Finnick looked me firmly, "Annie, you are beautiful. You don't realize how..." _

_I yanked my hands away from his. "Get out." I interrupted calmly._

_"Annie, I.."_

_"Please Finnick, I need time to think."_

_Finnick quietly stood up and walked out the door, looking sadly back at me before shutting it close behind him._

_..._

I sobbed loudly on Katniss's shoulder. "I was so mean to him Katniss. I didn't mean to say all those things to him. I was just so angry at the time."

"Shh, it's okay," consoled Katniss, stroking my hair, "I'm sure he understands. I'm going to kill that asshole." she muttered.

I looked up at Katniss. "Don't," I said firmly.

Katniss cocked her head in confusion.

"We can't control who we love, Katniss. If we could, the world would be a much happier place and this would never have happened." I said thoughtfully.

Katniss seemed to consider my words for a long time. Finally, she looked at me, "You know that Finnick probably going to ask to stay in my house right? Peeta probably kicked him out already..." As if on cue, my phone buzzed and Peeta's text popped up.

**Peeta: dont worry i kicked that man whore out of my house :) i would be there right now but i still didn't get my car back and i really don't feel like taking a two hour hike on the freeway.. but i can always try if you want... -.-**

Katniss laughed, "I told you so."

I grinned and texted him back.

**Annie: lol man whore? don't worry peeta :) i don't want to drive down to the emergency room because you passed out from all the exercise ;P what do you mean your house? finnick pays the all bills... just saying..**

Katniss opened her mouth to speak when a buzz signaled a text from Johanna.

**Johanna: tell finnick that he may not stay in my house just becuz i'm in hawaii becuz I WILL FIND OUT IF HE DOES i will personally use him as my practice dummy for practicing my black belt karate if he dares to come 5 miles near my house... i wish i could be there but right now i'm 3000 miles up in the air but i could bribe the pilot to turn back if you want xD**

"I guess that clears it up," said Katniss trying to not laugh for my sake.

I really didn't want Johanna be charged for nearly murdering Finnick so I texted back.

**Annie: nah i'm fine :) katniss is here/ i also don't want my friend to end up in jail :P**

I giggled at my friends' protectiveness. "You can go now Katniss. I know I'm holding up your time," I said apologetically.

"You need girl comfort tonight and your grandma doesn't count." said Katniss, her eyes burning with determination.

"You can't stay here because Finnick is probably going to catch pneumonia sleeping on your doorstep and I can't go to your house because well, Finnick will be there."

Suddenly, Prim popped out from the back door. "I can stay!" she said eagerly.

Our heads snapped towards Prim. "Were you eavesdropping?" Katniss asked sternly.

Prim ignored Katniss and jumped excitedly to me. "Annie, I'm thirteen! I know these stuff," she said, or squealed wisely. Prim opened her big, blue eyes widely, clasped her hands together, and pouted her lips.

"Oh fine," relented Katniss. "if that's okay with Annie." They both looked to me for assent.

I nodded causing Prim to squeak in happiness. "I'll carry my backpack upstairs! Bye Katniss!" she quickly ran up the stairs before Katniss could change her mind.

Katniss rolled her eyes and stood up to leave. "Just saying, Annie, Finnick seems pretty to carry out that stupid Make Cato Jealous Plan and he can be..." Katniss bit her lip in embarrassment.

I laughed, "It's fine, Katniss. I'm going to try move on." I motioned for her to get out. "Don't let me hold you up any longer. Oh yeah, and I'll warn Johanna and Peeta about Finnick's plan, just in case."

Katniss smiled at me gratefully then ran out the door. I grinned and went upstairs to help Prim unpack.

**Katniss's POV**

This was going to be so awkward.. I was going to be sleeping in the same house with a man who just broke my best friend's heart. Did he really mean what he said; that he loved me? Finnick and I had only just been friends since Capitol Acting School of Panem. We never went on a date or did anything romantic together. Sure, people used to gossip about us secretly being in a relationship, but none of those rumors were true. I drove through my front gates and saw what I predicted. On my front steps was the infamous Finnick Odair sitting miserably on a black suitcase. He looked up at me and quickly got on his feet. "I'm really sorry to do this, but I..."

"I understand, Finnick. Come inside," I said, my voice devoid of any emotion.

Finnick kept his foot rooted to the spot. "I'm assuming Annie told you everything," he said, looking down at his feet.

"Yeah and..." I began, but Finnick cut me off.

"Everything she said was true even the part about me.. um... beinlowiju," he said the last part really quickly, making his words incomprehensible.

"Um, could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch what you said."

Finnick turned a dark shade of red. Hmm.. strange.. Finnick Odair blushing.. well there's the first time for everything. "I said that," he took a deep breath, "I'm in love with you." Before I could say anything, Finnick went on, "I've been infatuated with you since I ever laid eyes on you. I couldn't musk up the guts to talk to you normally so I offered you a sugar cube."

I laughed hollowly at the memory. I was the new girl in school and Finnick had come up to be seductively offering me a sugar cube. "You made quite an impression on me that day."

Finnick grimaced, "Anyways, I know that you will probably never love me back, but could you please pretend that you don't hate me for saying this?" he pleaded hopefully.

"Finnick, I could never hate you. You are..." I was interrupted by Finnick smashing his lips against mine. I was in shock at first, then I realized what was going on. To my surprise, I didn't want to pull back. I moaned, grabbing his bronze hair and deepening our kiss with passion. I needed him right now and he needed me... wait what was I thinking? I came to my senses and jumped back in shock.

A look of hurt and horror crossed Finnick's face. "Katniss, I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean to.."

"Guest rooms are on the fourth floor. Pick whichever one you want," I said coldly before stomping up the stairs to take a shower.

I turned the water to a warm temperature and mulled over today's events. I knew that it was partly my fault. I hadn't exactly jumped back immediately when Finnick kissed me. After finishing an extremely long shower, I pulled on a neon yellow tank top and some navy yoga pants from Pink. I headed downstairs to make dinner when I caught a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. I walked in and cracked up at the sight in front of me. Finnick was in my mom's pink flower apron with a yellow oven glove on his hands. On the stove was a pan of what seemed like spaghetti cooking and on the counter was a bowl of Caesar Salad. Finnick was leaning into the oven to take out what looked like burned cupcakes. He turned around and grinned at me. "I thought I would cook since you are letting me stay in your house."

The meal was actually quite delectable. I could get used to having Finnick living in my house. Then, today's event flashed into my mind.. maybe not so much... Suddenly Finnick spoke up, "I think we should carry out that Make Cato Jealous Plan."

"What do you mean we?" I demanded. "Last time I checked, I vetoed the plan."

"C'mon it'll be soooooooo awesome!" he whined. "Don't you want to see him jealous?"

I considered that thought. The image of Cato fuming and tearing out his hair, brightened my day. "I guess we could try..." I said unsure of my decision.

"Perfect!" Finnick said happily. "We can start tomorrow!"

* * *

**So how was it? Sweet Annie is a little OOC... The plan starts in the next chapter! I have to thank Katniss-Will-Drown-Your-Cat for giving me this awesome idea that will be revealed in the next update hehe :P I want to apologize to you guys.. you're giving me such amazing feedbacks, but my updates are getting slower.. :( I will strive to update tomorrow if not.. oh well.. Should Finnick and Annie get together later on or should I make different pairings for both of them? I think you guys will be amused by the new pairing, but some of you are hardcore Finnie shippers xD Leave me a review about what you think should happen! Until next time... **


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry that I didn't update yesterday or the day before yesterday.. my teachers were bombing us with homework and projects... and I started playing piano for choir, but im starting to fail at it so badly so I need to practice more... I swear you guys are on a scheme to make me guilty for not updating :) THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL SUPPORT~ YOUR SCHEME SUCCEEDED... NOW I FEEL AWFUL FOR NOT UPDATING~ **

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**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.. Suzanne Collins does :)**

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**Finnick's POV**

After Mags, my agent (who used to be a celebrity in her time), had gently reminded me to protect his public image, I went downstairs to make breakfast. Drowning in disappointment in myself, I bustled around to kitchen to find something to make waffles and my specialty, blueberry pancakes with. Who could have imagined that Finnick Odair enjoyed and had a talent in cooking? Oh, wait... I had a talent in everything.

My phone rang and to my horror, I saw that it was Annie. I debated on whether to pick up or not, and to expect any further complications I picked up.

"Hello?" said Annie softly which I didn't expect.

"Hey," I called breathlessly. "look, I'm..."

"No, before you start saying anything, I want to say I'm sorry," interrupted Annie. "I wasn't acting like myself yesterday. I was so upset, that I just lost control."

I was immediately filled with guilt. "Annie, it wasn't your fault, please, please, please, don't think that. Anyways, I've heard worse in my lifetime."

Annie laughed quietly, her musical tinkle brightening my mood. "Also, thanks Finnick for confronting me about it instead of cheating on me behind my back. I appreciate that you respected me enough to not lie to me."

"I would never do that!" I said in horror. "You mean too much to me."

"Right," said Annie uncertainly. "have a nice weekend Finnick."

I could feel the conversation, or more importantly our chance of being friends closing. I could either walk away right now and regret it for the rest of my life or clear some things up. "Wait," I called. I could feel Annie's hesitation. Before she could hang up, I continued quickly. "I'm sorry, Annie. I'm so confused right now." When only silence met my ears, I took that as a sign to go on. I couldn't believe I was going to say this to Annie, but I always told her everything, and I wasn't going to stop now. "One thing I can tell you for sure is that I love you so much, and I'm sorry that I hurt you. I need time to think this one out and clear somethings before I go on in my life." I felt like I had to say more, but nothing came into my mind. _"Idiot! You have kept your mouth shut!" _I scolded myself. "I'm sorry.. I'll just be leaving now," I said awkwardly. I waited nervously for Annie's reply. After a long silence, Annie's gentle voice came out.

"Finnick, I know that this is a huge step in your life. You are one of the most caring people I know, but maybe not the best long-term relationship guy. You're trying to change that, and I respect you for that." Annie took a breath, and continued. "I want you to know that I love you so much Finnick. I'll be right by your side when you go through this, and be ready with my arms wide open to build our friendship again at the end of this climb," she finished softly. The line went dead and I stood in the kitchen grinning like an idiot. That was all I needed; that sweet Annie wasn't mad at me and was willing to be friends, maybe more. Right now, I just needed time to think and make breakfast.

I heard Katniss bellow in anger upstairs at her phone that had been ringing like crazy for forty five minutes. I listened with a grin as Katniss began her screaming match.

* * *

**Katniss's POV**

"Shut up!" I screamed when my phone rang for the fiftieth time in a row. When it refused to stop, I seethed and answered it. "What the hell do you want?!" I bellowed at the caller.

"Someone's grouchy today," muttered the voice of Madge from the other line.

"I'm not grouchy!" I yelled.

"Sure..." said Madge, amusement creeping into her voice.

"You woke me up in the morning just to tease me?" I demanded, lowering my volume by a notch.

"No, in fact I called to have a chat about the new headline on ," Madge said seriously. "I suggest you check it out. Remember Katniss, you have a reputation to keep." Madge hung up with a disappointed air to her voice and I immediately began furiously typing on my laptop. What I saw made my eyes grow as big as saucers. On the homepage, it showed.. the little interaction me and Finnick had yesterday on my front porch. How did they get a picture of that? Did my house have secret cameras insulated all over the place? I shuddered at the thought.

Yet, I knew that I couldn't be mad at them for posting that. I was the one who had done it; if I didn't want it to be known to public; I should have not done it at all,

I sat limply on the bed remembering last night's events. I felt dirty and contaminated. I felt a surge of disappointment in myself engulfing my senses. Yesterday, I had being snogging my best friend's ex the day he broke up with her. True, my encounter with Cato yesterday had left me feeling an urge for physical comfort, which was highly unlike me, but that was no excuse for doing what I did.

Finnick walked in, with his phone clutched tightly in his hand. "You saw it?" I whispered hoarsely.

He growled, "How did they get a picture of that? Do they have no respect for our privacy?"

"Yesterday was a mistake," I said softly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"At least Cato will see this," said Finnick, trying to lighten up the mood. "By the way, do you and Madge always have a screaming match every morning?"

I managed to let out a hollow chuckle. "Yeah, she's an early riser..."

"And you are really cranky in the morning," finished Finnick.

"Am not!" I said indignantly. "I'm perfectly capable of being civil to the people around me in the morning."

"Uh huh," said Finnick disbelievingly, "keep telling yourself that."

A small smile started to creep up my face. "So what's the plan today?" I asked, curious to find out what Finnick had planned to get revenge on Cato.

"Well, yesterday I made some phone calls, pulled some strings, and made some more phone calls," explained Finnick.

"That explains everything," I said sarcastically.

"You know that I'm an Abercrombie model and I have a photo shoot today," continued Finnick with a nonchalant air. "Well, I convinced," he winked at me suggestively, emphasizing the word convinced, "let you be my girl counterpart for this Summer swimwear sale photo shoot."

I knew that photos of Abercrombie models, especially for Finnick, usually was composed of a lot of kissing and lack of clothes. "No," I said firmly.

"C'mon," Finnick whined, "I told them to limit it to holding hands and posing together."

I bit my lip, unsure of what to do. I refused to make a mistake like yesterday, but holding hands couldn't hurt, right? What would the old Katniss do? She would have kicked Finnick's butt yesterday and kicked him out of the curb and would have went to sleep without blinking an eye. _"You've changed.' _I told myself.

"Fine, but no kissing," I said, hoping that I wouldn't regret this decision later on.

"Perfect!" purred Finnick. "The picture will be out in two days, being broadcast to every Abercrombie store."

"I'm not sure whether to be happy or upset about that," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Be happy! You're modeling with The Finnick Odair," said Finnick pompously. "Now hurry up and get ready to roll."

* * *

**Cato's POV**

I was purely pissed. There was no other explanation for how I was feeling right now. How dare she kiss Finnick? She was MINE and ONLY mine! How dare she trample all the things we shared in our relationship? _'But you guys aren't in a relationship...you dumped her remember?' _reminded a tiny voice in my head. I let a roar of frustration and punched the bathroom door, creating a large hole on the wooden door. I stepped in and tore the towel rack from the wall and threw it against the beige wallpaper in the living room. I looked around the room frantically to find something else to obliterate and take my anger on. To my dismay, I found nothing. Dishes, vases, and paintings lay cracked on the floor, every door on the first floor had a large hole through it, chairs lay in a fetal position with broken legs, and basically, the entire house was a havoc. I calmed my breathing and assessed the damage, finding it more serious then anything else I had done before.

My physique trainer, Brutus, sitting on a chair (the only that wasn't broken) with a crossed leg, was watching me with an amused expression on his face. He smirked at me. "So, you done yet?"

I growled and glared that him with intensity, hate radiating from my eyes.

"Stop growling, you sound like a dog," he said, carelessly examining his fingernails.

Brutus, a 35-year old man, was the only person I knew that didn't flee when I had my tantrums. Being a muscled man, Brutus was the same size as me, which was pretty hard to match, since my body was like the figure of a god, maybe even better.

"Shut up," I muttered.

"I refuse to do so; however I highly advise you to follow your own advice," said Brutus in a mocking tone.

That man was this close to making me break his neck. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Get out before I do something I regret." I started to stomp upstairs when Brutus opened his annoying mouth again.

Brutus had obviously chosen to ignore my threat. I had to admit, the guy had the nerve. "You're jealous," he said in a matter-of-fact-tone.

"What?!" I yelled, spinning around to face him. I could feel my face heating up to a brilliant red color and my steam coming out of my ears. My vision saw red, and I grabbed for his neck, but surprisingly, Brutus stopped me with his hands. He twisted my arm, flipped me on the ground, and pulled me into a headlock. I looked up in shock; the dude was stronger than I thought. I refrained from flailing to preserve some of my dignity or what was left of it.

Brutus pulled his mouth into a snarl. "Listen to me Cato. Lesson one, your anger does not become you. Lesson two, never underestimate your enemy. Lesson three, you are jealous of Katniss and Finnick. Lesson four, your ego is too big for your own good." Brutus stood up and brushed his pants. "I'll send someone to clean this up," he said cooly. Without looking at me, he stepped outside my house, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

**Katniss's POV**

Before I knew it, I was in a navy, white polka dot triangular bikini, with my dark hair curled in waves, "hanging out" with Finnick who was in a pair of blue swim trunks. We were supposedly "flirting" with each other. Finnick was pretending to kiss me, except he got a little too close. I kicked him the shin as a warning, and he grimaced in pain.

"Oi!" called the camera director. "You guys are a couple! At least look like you aren't trying to kill each other."

I sighed and fluttered my eyelashes at Finnick. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Finnick's POV**

I thought that this photo shoot was going to help me sort my thoughts out a bit. Boy, I was wrong. I shut my eyes, trying not to imagine Katniss in her bikini. I headed to a bar near District 12 School of Panem since District 12 was a place that was fighting for survival not drinking or sightseeing Finnick Odair. I wanted privacy, and I had a feeling District 12 was the perfect place.

I stepped into the dark, gloomy bar, reeking of dirty flesh and fresh vomit. The entire place was built of wood, that was slowly rotting from many years of use. A moody music, which to my luck was from Katniss's new album "Broken", was playing in the background. As I expected, barely anyone was there, except for a few, dark figures sitting solitarily at different tables. I walked over to the bar and slumped down on one of the stools. A young bartender, that looked about 19 or 20 years old, came over. "What can I get for you?" he asked.

"Vodka," I answered hoarsely.

He grimaced, "We don't have money for that sort of liquor."

"What do you recommend?"

"White liquor," he replied. "it helps wash away the pain faster."

"I'll take one." I said. One turned to two and two turned to three, which turned to five. ;

Business in the pub seemed to go slow, and the bartender leaned against the bar and started up a conversation. "Finnick Odair didn't seemed to strike me as a guy that got drunk," he said casually.

"You know me?" I asked surprised, feeling a little dizzy in the head.

The bartender smirked, "I recognized you from the moment you stepped into the doorway." When he saw my panicked expression, he quickly added, "I didn't call the press or take sneak shots of you. Celebrities are humans too and humans sometimes need privacy."

I relaxed, "So what's your name?" I asked curiously, taking another gulp from the glass. Now, the walls around me were starting to spin and my eyesight began to turn blurry.

"Why should I tell you?"

"It's only fair since you know mine," I replied cooly, or at least I thought I did.

"Gale Hawthorne," he answered simply.

The name Gale struck a bell in my clouded mind. Gale... he was someone's ex-best friend... someone I knew. I couldn't exactly put my finger on the person. "I have a feeling I know you."

Gale's expression suddenly turned defensive. I felt a brick wall spring up, masking Gale's emotions. That seemed familiar too... I looked at Gale closely. Olive skin, dark hair.. and gray stormy eyes... The answer hit me like a lightning bolt. "You know Katniss!" I exclaimed.

Gale's expression turned hostile. "Correction, I used to know her. Now I don't know who she is anymore."

I racked my brains trying to put together what Katniss confided in me about Gale. "You guys stopped being friends... why?"

"That is none of your business," he replied curtly. "Anyways, why is Finnick Odair wasting his time at the District 12 bar?"

"Read the news," I said, burying my face in my hands.

"I did, and I can't say I'm happy about it, but I want to hear the story from the person himself."

I felt a surge of respect towards Gale. He was one of the few people I knew that didn't make immediate assumptions about me after hearing a rumor or a fake tabloid. I took a deep breath and started explaining, each word feeling like a hammer against my skull. "The part about Annie and I breaking up is true, but I wasn't cheating on Annie with Katniss." I heard a sigh of relief from Gale. I raised my eyebrows at him and he motioned for me to go on. "I was just so confused. I used to have very strong feelings for Katniss, but that disappeared as soon as I laid eyes on Annie. But now.. I'm not sure about it anymore. I cut it with Annie because I don't want to hurt her anymore with my actions. Annie is just too important for me to let go, as a sister, friend, or a lover." I groaned in frustration. "I don't know what to do!" I yelled tearing out my hair.

There was an long, thoughtful pause between us. Then Gale whispered, "Don't make the same mistakes I did."

I looked up from my misery. "What do you mean?"

Gale suddenly took a special interest at the wood on the bar. "When Katniss and I first met, we were like allies that slowly turned to friends, and for me, to love," he said softly.

"Join the club," I muttered.

"I knew that she would never return my feelings," he continued, "but I never gave up on her. I thought she would never love another guy and I would be the closest thing to a boyfriend for her. Turns out I was wrong."

Things began to piece together in my mind. "She met Cato," I whispered.

"Yes," Gale said bitterly. "she was singing in the streets one day and Haymitch found her and signed a contract with her. She was shipped off to that Capitol school and I began to see her less and less. Every time we saw each other, she looked happier. Then I found out that Katniss fell in love with Cato."  
"Ouch."

"I can't say that I wasn't surprised," said Gale, "Katniss never let anyone in through that mental barrier of hers, except for Prim, and maybe back then, me. It took me 2 years to get halfway to where Cato got in a month. After seeing that for 6 months, I snapped. I called Cato and her names that I now, I would give anything to take that back. Then, I kissed her," he finished faintly.

I stared at him with my mouth open. "You what?" I slurred.

"I freaking kissed her! She was quiet all through my rambling and slapped my face when I kissed her. Then, she just walked away. I should have told her right then that I was sorry. But my stupid pride didn't let me approach her for the last 4 years. I couldn't face her again after what I did. I so freaking wanted to be by her side when Cato broke her fragile trust, but I didn't. Now, it's too late." Gale looked at me straight in the eyes. "Don't do what I did, Finnick Odair. You'll regret it after, and it might be too late to turn back time."

I considered those words for a while and stood up abruptly. I needed more time to figure out my life, but wasting my time at a bar wasn't going to make itfaster. Before I turned around, I looked at Gale who was looking at me with a wistful face. "It might not be too late," I whispered. I scribbled down Katniss's number and address on a piece of paper and squeezed it in Gale's hand. I walked out the door, glancing back one more time, and found Gale looking at me with a curious face with what seemed like respect.

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**Sorry for not updating so soon :(( i never promised anything before through this fanfic, but i PROMISE now that the next update will be faster :) keep those amazing reviews up ^.^ thanks and until next time~~**


	8. Chapter 8

**YAY I KEPT MY PROMISE~ this is the longest chapter yet.. it's over 4,000 words long.. too long for me... thanks for all your encouragement! This chapter would not be here if not for your awesome support~**

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**Disclaimer: I remembered like 3 seconds before I was going to update this chapter. For future references, I don't own Hunger Games (although I really wish) and never will (unless Suzanne Collins decides to leave it to me in her will).. Suzanne Collins does.**

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**I'm so sorry Dancerluver123! I forgot to add you to my shoutout.. my deepest apologies :)**

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**Read, Enjoy, and Review~**

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**Gale's POV**

I watched in a daze as Finnick Odair walked out of the pub. I looked down at the piece of paper in my hands once more. I clenched on to it like it was made of diamond. Those black words on that paper, brought back the hope of friendship that had been crushed for the last four years. I would approach her someday, but not now. She had too much drama in her life right now without my help. But someday, I would reenter her life.

* * *

**Katniss's POV**

When I woke up, something seemed missing... I went downstairs to grab some water when I realized the smell of delicious breakfast was out of place. I jogged back up to Finnick's room and found a note on the bed. I opened it and found two words, _thank you. _Finnick must have packed his things and went to his villa about a 3 hour distance from here. I smiled to myself and got ready to go to Annie's house to collect Prim.

I was sweating with anticipation when I pulled into to Annie's house. Would she be mad at me? I rang the doorbell and a million thoughts rushed into my mind. I bravely cleared them out of my head and stood firmly in front of the door.

Annie came out, still in her pajamas. I opened my mouth to speak when she crushed me into a hug. When I processed what was happening, I hugged her back, hating myself for being a horrible friend. Annie pulled away and begged with my eyes for her forgiveness. Annie smiled sweetly and I mentally started celebrating in my head. "Prim! Katniss is here!" she called.

I heard thundering footsteps and Prim bounced in the doorway. "Katniss!" she squealed. "Me and Annie had so much fun!" She started blabbering on and on about how awesome her stay was.

I chuckled and cut her off. "You can tell me more about it later, little duck," I said grabbing her arm gently. "And if you keep on talking about how amazing Annie is, I'm going to think that you like her better than me." I poked her in the stomach and she giggled.

"Bye! Visit again soon!" Annie called from the doorway, as we headed toward the car. We waved and drove off, with Prim chattering about camp and Annie.

I made myself a gigantic sandwich and collapsed on the sofa. I munched on the tomato dreamily, when the doorbell interrupted my thoughts.

A pair of footsteps fan down to answer it. There was a sound of squealing and Prim bounced in the living room. "Clove's here!" she exclaimed.

Clove? Clove Sparkles? I knew that Clove wasn't the type to pop up at a friend's house spontaneously. Something was up. I walked quickly to the doorway with Prim leading the way.

Clove stood nervously in the doorway in a t-shirt, pair of baggy jeans, and dirty sneakers. "Katniss, can I talk to you privately for a sec?" she asked looking down at her feet.

Something was definitely up. Clove lacked her sarcastic air and seemed almost scared. "Sure, we can talk in the garden." I said gently, "Welcome to my humble abode."

Clove looked around the house. "This is... different," she remarked. "Not in a bad way," she said quickly, "it's just different from my house. It's more.. comforting without all the frills and laces."

Prim quietly went upstairs, noting that Clove wanted some privacy. "You're welcome here anytime," I said. I opened the patio door and put on the garden slippers.

Clove's mouth went agape when she walked in. "It's so beautiful," she said softly.

I chuckled, "Prim loves flowers. We grow almost everything we eat plus some herbs for my mom's medical salves." We sat down on a bench surrounded by blue and white primroses. "So Clove, what's up? I know something's wrong," I said carefully.

Clove scowled, "I shouldn't have come here. I'm so stupid; you wouldn't understand," she muttered under her breath.

She stood up to leave, but I grabbed her arm. "No, Clove. I do understand."

She turned to me angrily. "No, you don't! You don't know what it feels like..."

"To be ignored by everyone around you? To feel like no one cares for you? To have no one there for you when you need someone? Believe me Clove, I've been there, done that,and I do understand, so tell me." I suddenly saw a younger version of myself in Clove again. A tough, uncrackable persona on the outside, but inside her was a scared girl that just needed someone to care for her.

"How?" Clove answered bitterly. "You're Katniss Everdeen. Everyone falls at your feet, begging for your attention."

"It wasn't always like this," I answered softly. "There were times when I was just like you." Then I began to tell my story.

...

_"Mom!" I begged, "please talk to me! Just please look at me!" I grabbed her shoulders and shook it violently. "Please mom, I need you, WE need you!"_

_My only reply was a blank stare to the white wall across from her. Frustrated, I began crying hysterically into my hands. Behind me, the door creaked open. "Katniss?" asked the timid voice of my 7-year old sister, Prim. "I'm hungry." When she saw my red puffy eyes, she recoiled. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I'm not hungry anymore," she said gently, wrapping her arms around my neck._

_I knew that wasn't true. I could feel her bony arms and ribs sticking out of her flesh. Her eyes were sunken and dark circles were prominent under her pale, malnutrition skin. Something inside me clicked. My mom was never going to come back to us, and I couldn't keep on begging for something that could never happen. I had to change, and slowly I felt my mental barrier building it's foundation._

_On the days that I went to school, I would hear girls complaining about how their parents didn't buy a new tank top for them and how unfair their life was. 'If you only knew about mine.' I thought in my head._

_I scraped in as much money as I could, and spent as little as I could. Neighbors began to help me in the most important way; by taking care of Prim. I met my best friend Gale, whose father had also died in the same battle as mine. When people began to reach out to my sister, I felt a huge weight being lifted off my frail shoulders. Once I won a singing competition that earned us 200 dollars. _

_There was this rich kid named, Cornelius Snow. I heard whispers about him among my neighbors, people like me. The kids called him the President. I was walking home one day from the grocery store, when Snow and his gang approached me. They surrounded me and Snow approached one of the boys. "Is she the girl?" _

_"Yep," answered the boy, sneering at me._

_I didn't know what was going on. I had to get back home to my sister. "I'd love to stay and chat," I said sarcastically. "but unfortunately, I have business to attend to."_

_Snow faced me, his cold, snake like eyes boring into my gray ones. "I think that can wait," he said coldly. He started pacing around me circles. "I have a proposition for you." he said calmly._

_I glared at him in response. "What do you want from me!" I yelled._

_"Now, now, calm down," he said mockingly. "Now's not the time to lose your temper. After all, not when your sister's safety is at stake. What was her name.. Prim?"_

_I froze at the mention of Prim. He smirked, knowing that he had struck the right spot. "I want a job done," he whispered menacingly, "Twenty-three kids have displeased me greatly. I want them disposed."_

_"You want me to beat them up?" I asked hoarsely._

_"You read my mind," he sneered, "You'll be rewarded handsomely. Five hundred dollars per victim. I'm aware that you're in need of financial assistance? Five hundred times twenty-three.. that's eleven thousand five hundred dollars."_

_I gasped, "Where do you get that money?"_

_He smirked, "I have my sources."_

_I weighed my options. Eleven thousand five hundred dollars could give us a new life. But somethings weren't worth risking for. I refused to take part in torturing innocent children. "No," I said firmly. I saw confusion in the eyes of the gang and saw my opportunity to run. I fled from the alley and didn't look back until I reached my shabby apartment. What scared me wasn't the threats, it was how willingly he let me go. When one of the boys started chasing me, Snow stopped him and said, "Let her go."_

_I found Prim sitting on the kitchen table eating some hard bread. Her eyes widened when she saw me. "I'm sorry Katniss, but I was so hungry. I was going to wait for you.."_

_I smiled weakly at her. "It's fine, Prim. You can eat mine too." I grinned as I saw my sister wolfing down the two slices of bread. _

_The next day, I was sitting at the table, sighing as I read our bills. We didn't have enough to pay this month's dues. Prim was outside gathering the laundry. When she didn't come back after thirty minutes, I went out to look for her. She wasn't in the backyard or the playground. In panic, I went around the streets screaming her name. Then, I spotted her, walking out of an alley, her eyes wide with fear and pain. Her skin and clothes were stained with dirt and tears outlined her dirty face. A red, angry handprint was on one cheek and a bruise was starting to form above her left eyebrow. When she spotted me, she ran towards me crying hysterically. I growled angrily at her breakdown and hugged her tightly. "Who did this to you?!" I screamed. "Who the hell dared to touch my sister!" Sobs racked my body and we stood in the street tightly hugging each other._

_Prim pulled away and looked at me sadly. She lifted the sleeve of her shirt and the sight made my blood boil. I was ready to murder. On her pale white skin, were carved the words, 'midnight same place'. I screamed in rage and ready to murder, I started to sprint towards the direction that Prim came from when she grabbed my shirt. I was going to kill Snow and his stupid gang. I fought against her, but her grip tightened. "Don't Katniss," she said, her voice filled with fear. "I don't want you to get hurt." After realizing that murder was not the best answer, I took Prim home, cleaned her cuts, and took her to Gale's house. I asked Mrs. Hawthorne to watch her just for today and trudged back home. _

_I went to the same alley at midnight. Snow and his gang were waiting for me._

_"I knew you would come," he said evilly. "You should have heard your sister scream." I bellowed in rage and pinned him against the brick wall. I pulled my fist back to knock the living daylights out of him when two boys confined me and pushed me to the ground. I tried to stand up, but they held me down firmly. Snow regained his posture and walked towards me. _

_"You bastard!" I spat in his face. _

_He growled in anger. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. What we did to your sister was only the beginning." _

_I let go reluctantly and stared at him murderously. "I'll call the police," I muttered._

_He cackled, "And who would believe you, a poor, filthy girl? Who would take your word against mine, one of the richest teenagers in the world?" He handed me a thick manilla folder. "Here are the information for the targets, their home, appearance, picture, anything you need. Track them down and make them pay. You'll get your payment through the mail," he threatened. Before he left he turned back to me once more, "Remember, I'm always watching."_

_I remembered every single one of them. The last one had been a fighter. 'One more to go.' I thought. Burdened with the prospect, I walked by the Capitol Acting School of Panem. I sunk down as low as begging. I was hoping that some rich people would take pity on me and give me some coins. When I only earned two dollars, I walked by the bakery and nearly fainted at the smell of the sweet aroma coming from the chimney. I stared longly at the store when a blonde boy came out, balancing a paper bag of what smelled like warm, fresh bread in his arms. He stared at me for a while and dropped the paper bag, making the contents spill out. A cruel looking woman stormed out and pulled him by his ear and slapped him in the face, leaving a bright red handprint. She yelled at him to throw the bread out and went in the buy some more. The boy looked back at her, making sure she wasn't looking, gathered the bread, gave me the paper bag full of bread, and ran back inside._

_I hurried home and feasted on the warm bread with my family. Then, I opened the file for the last victim. The last one before I was free. _

_The last victim was a young girl, about Prim's age. I couldn't bring myself to do such a horrible thing to her. Luckily, Haymitch passed by only a few hours before it was time to carry out my orders, when I was singing in the streets. He was mesmerized by my voice and offered to send me to school and be my agent. He immediately took in my mother and Prim in one of his houses, and sent me to the Capitol School. I never saw Snow again._

_I didn't know the name of the boy that gave me the bread until two years later when I was "discovered" by Haymitch and went to Capitol Acting School of Panem. His name was Peeta Mellark._

_..._

I had never told this to anybody, not even to Prim. Johanna, Peeta, Finnick, and Annie knew that I had a hard childhood, but I never told them the full story. "You're the first person I've told this story to," I said gently to Clove. "I understand. I'll be there for you."

"Why?" demanded Clove softly.

"Because four years ago I made a promise to myself." I said firmly. "I sweared that I would never let anyone experience what I had to go through. That I would do anything to stop it if it was within my power to do so."

Clove seemed to ponder my words for a little bit. "I'm ashamed to say that my scenario isn't as big as yours." she began slowly. "My real mom is an alcoholic. She was always drunk and she hated my father. They were forced to marry because of this business deal between their parents. They were always arguing... She used to.." Clove's voiced cracked. She closed her eyes and continued faster, "when she was really drunk, she used to think that I was my father and she used to abuse me, physically and mentally. She yelled insults at me and called me names that I don't even want to think about... My dad knew that she got drunk a lot, but he didn't know that it was that serious.. He came home one day, and she was having one of her worst. He came in while she was cornering me on the wall trying to..." Clove's voice cracked, and her expression turned fierce. "It's my fault!" she screamed. "They divorced because of me!"

I stood up indignantly and grabbed Clove's shoulders. "Clove, listen to me well. It is not your fault. Don't go blaming yourself about that. They obviously weren't happy with each other, and you didn't deserve that treatment, got it?"

Clove nodded. I sat back down in relief. "I just needed to let it all out. My dad doesn't have full custody of me, and I just came back from my mom's house. Cato and Glimmer dropped me off when I came back from camp. She was... the usual." said Clove timidly. "I felt so clogged up and I wanted to let it go. When I came back, I expected some sort of greeting, but no one was there. Glimmer was out and I found a note from my dad saying that they extended the trip and went from Paris to Venice. I felt happy that my dad had finally met someone he loved, but..." she trailed off looking at her hands.

"Thanks for coming to me," I said gratefully, happy that she had decided to trust me.

She stiffened at my softened tone. "I don't need pity," she growled, fiercely meeting my gaze. Brown clashed with gray and fought for dominance.

I sighed at her stubbornness that was so similar to mine. "I'm not pitying you. I know that saying sorry about your situation doesn't help. Just know that I'm here for you."

Clove looked at me distrustfully for a moment. Seeing no dishonesty in my facade, her gaze lowered and she opened her mouth to speak. "Also, I have to ask you for a favor." said Clove, biting her lip.

"What is it?"

"You know Cato's younger brother Marvel?" Clove asked.

I growled. Of course I remembered that git. He used to play so many pranks on me and Cato while we were dating. Hiding my clothes and the towels while I was taking showers in Cato's house was something I could never forgive him for.

Clove smirked, "I'm guessing you do."

"What about him?" I asked.

"Well..." said Clove uncertainly, "he asked me out on a date and I need.. ugh this is so unlike me," she finished exasperatedly.

"You need something to wear," I finished.

"Yeah," said Clove quietly. "I've never been into fashion and I didn't want to ask Glimmer because she would well.. make me wear skimpy clothes." When I scowled, Clove went on, "Don't get the wrong idea about Glimmer. A lot of people do, and even though she acts like a slut sometimes, she does really care about people around her. Except her definition of helping doesn't really match their definition. As much as I hate to say this, she's a good person at heart."

Maybe I was wrong about Glimmer after all. I decided that I would give her a try. My face broke in to a huge smile. "I would be _honored_ to go shopping with you! How about the day after tomorrow? You stay here tomorrow and we can get a head start the next morning. Prim is going to home alone when I'm filming tomorrow, and she would love your company."

"Sure. How much do you think I'll need?" Clove asked.

I waved my hand in dismissal. "Everything's on me."

"But.." Clove protested.

"No, you're like a younger sister to me, and last time I checked, I never let Prim pay for her clothes. You deserve the same treatment," I said firmly.

Clove put a huge grin on her face. It was nice to see her real smile, not her usual scowls and smirks.

* * *

**Cato's POV**

I cursed myself mentally for pissing off Brutus. After storming out of my house, he had called Glimmer and asked her to cheer me up. She thought that a shopping spree would brighten my mood. I shoved through a bunch of people who were gawking at me and Glimmer.

"Brighten up, Cato," said Glimmer, with a fake cheery voice. In her delusional world, not only was a shopping spree supposed a cheer a person up, there was firm belief that one had to use a "happy" voice when trying to make a person happier.

I rolled my eyes, expressing my dissent towards this shopping spree. The great and mighty Cato had better things to do than go shopping. By the way, did I mention that I was the one that carried the bags? Glimmer ignored me and started admiring a Tiffany diamond jewelry set inside the display case. Annoyed, I quickly went inside and bought it for her so we could go home sooner.

We passed by a small tent, where people were trying to raise money to help orphans in third world countries. I scoffed and passed by, but Glimmer had other ideas. She glared at me and approached the volunteers who eagerly flocked towards her. I watched as she made a huge donation and joined me looking happy. "It was the least I could do," she muttered.

I smirked at her. I knew that Glimmer didn't do it so people could gush about how generous she was. She actually cared about those children and genuinely wanted to help. She might not seem like it, but she cared about the society. "They told me about a program that let me actually go to those places, and help the kids out. I would go, but with the filming, modeling, parties,..."

"It's fine," I said gently, feeling her distress. "That donation you made could probably feed the whole country."

Glimmer looked up at me with her emerald eyes wide with shock. "Cato Ludwig, you did not look over my shoulder when I was writing that check!"

"I did actually, and I admired the view from the back," I said cheekily.

Glimmer slapped my arm and walked away huffing, returning to her normal perky self. I rubbed my red arm and readjusted the shopping bags that I was carrying on my arm. I was starting to get sore from carrying so much stuff.

"Cato, get your lazy butt here!" Glimmer squealed from the second floor, where they had stores that concentrated on selling clothes. I groaned when I realized that we were very, very, very far from going home. She was just finished with jewelry. We still had to get clothes, shoes, bags, and makeup covered. My phone buzzed, signaling a text. I growled in anger, when I saw what it said.

**Brutus: having fun? i just informed her that abercrombie and victoria's secret is having their annual summer bikini sale good luck :P**

I slowly texted back with my thumb trying to balance the bags from spilling on the floor.

**Cato: im going to kill you**

I put my phone back in my pocket and followed Glimmer into Victoria's Secret. She bounced off somewhere and I miserably went around the store looking for a seat. Unfortunately, the only one was in the umm... lacy bras and panties section. _"Great, just what I needed,"_ I thought. I slumped on the chair, massaging my red arms. I tried not to stare too much at one section when something caught my eye.

I'd forgotten that Katniss was a Victoria's Secret Angel. _"Oh shit,' _I thought to myself. Katniss was in red push up bra with a lacy underwear that exposed way too much skin. I must have stared too long because a guy my age came up to me and said, "Having fun?" I looked up in surprise, but couldn't really make out his face because of the dim lightning.

"My ex," I muttered to him.

He looked over at Katniss and whistled to my great displeasure. "I feel your pain," he moaned. We made light conversation about our day. I found out that he too had been dragged around by his girlfriend on a shopping spree. We were just talking about how much bags we had to carry when Glimmer waved over at me.

"Cato, over here!" she called, waving her arms, carrying three bags that were filled with perfume and other things. I groaned at the extra weight that I was going to have to carry.

The guy in front of me whistled again. "Dude, where do you get your girlfriends?" he asked wistfully.

I excused myself and stood up, revealing my face in the light. The guy's mouth dropped open when he realized who I was. _"About damn time," _I thought to myself.

"Cato Ludwig..." he stammered. I ran away before he could ask me how many hours I worked out. Glimmer handed me the bags and ran ahead.

"Hurry up!" she called, "I want to get there before everything good is taken!" I cursed and quickened my pace. Who could have guessed that the mighty Cato was being bullied by his girlfriend? The thing was, I cared about Glimmer. Not romantically, but like her protector. There were a lot of guys in this world that would use her and throw her away like a broken shoe when they got what they wanted.

We reached Abercrombie, that was already bustling with people. At the entrance was a huge picture of Finnick Odair leaning in to kiss a brunette in a navy bikini that accentuated her curves. I had to admit, the girl was hot and... familiar... I leaned in closer to the picture. The girl was looking up flirtatiously up her dark and long lashes, her stormy gray eyes fixed on Finnick's green ones. Her wavy dark hair blew in the wind and her reddish-pink lips were seductively full in volume. Underneath the curve of her bottom was a tiny tattoo that would have been missed by a normal person, but I would recognize it anywhere. The girl _almost_ kissing Finnick Odair was Katniss Everdeen.

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**I'm going to stop here because this chapter is getting too long for my taste. Remember to Review! My updates are probably going to be slower... writing a fanfic takes a longer time than I thought it would... Thanks and until next time~**


	9. Chapter 9

**SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT :((((( i told some of you that I was going to try update saturday but as you can probably deduce... i failed... From now I'm going to put the author's note at the bottom unless it's SUPER DUPER POOPER IMPORTANT because some people don't like going through long author's notes every chapter :)**

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**Read, Enjoy, and Review~ =^.^=**

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**Cato's POV**

The hair on the back of my head was bristling. I would feel myself shaking in anger and my face turning red. My vision started turning fuzzy and the world started spinning. I ran out of the store before I could start ripping that picture from the wall. I sprinted to the bathroom and to my relief, no one was there. I put a "Sorry For the Inconvenience" sign on the doorway so I wouldn't be disturbed.

I threw the stupid shopping bags in the corner and hurtled towards the wall. I punched it, making it crack a little bit. I repeatedly smashed it, making some of the stone crumble to the ground. I imagined Odair's face planted on the wall and knocked the daylights out of him I knocked his nose out, gave him two matching black eyes, smashed his skull, shattered his teeth, and beat him bloody senseless. My mind began to clear a little bit and I stopped demolishing the wall. I glared murderously at the wall and took long, ragged breathes. I examined my knuckles finding none broken, but heavily bruised and red. Maybe, I did have anger issues...

I collapsed on the ground, sitting on the bathroom floor not caring whether it was dirty or not. Why did I care so much about Katniss and Odair being together? Why did it bother me so much? Sure, Katniss was beautiful, but Glimmer didn't fall behind when it came to looks. I tore out my hair trying to forget about her.

Also, that tattoo... I didn't think that she would have kept it. I closed my eyes and reminisced the time when Katniss and I got that tattoo.

...

_It was Katniss's Sweet 16 birthday. It was the middle of January, so it was colder than what I was used to. Wrapping my arms around her tiny waist, I took off my jacket and put it on Katniss. She looked up at me in concern, but I shook off the cold weather. Her tiny frame huddled against mine, I led us towards the car and drove off._

_It was a spur of the moment thing. One moment, we were heading towards Katniss's home, and the other second, we were taking the exit to a tattoo shop. We weren't drunk or anything, just maybe drunk in our love for each other._

_Katniss decided to get the tattoo beneath the curve of her bottom to tease me, and I decided to get mine on the hip to tease her. _

_It was her first tattoo and she moaned in pain when a CatoxKatniss was carved into her skin. She gripped my hand tightly, and I stroked her head in comfort. She seemed to relax at my touch. _

_I had gotten a lot of tattoos before in more painful places, so this one was like a breeze. I wanted to get one on the bone that stuck out from the side of the foot to prove my undying love for her, but she refused to let me go through such pain. _

_After the ordeal, I kissed the top of her head. "Do you regret getting it?" I asked._

_Katniss shook her head. "I don't regret a single moment."_

_..._

After I dumped her, I didn't remove the tattoo. It was probably unfair to Glimmer and to my other girls, but I couldn't bring myself to erase one of the blessed memories I had the luck to share with her. I thought that she would have removed it by now, but I guess I was wrong.

What did that mean? Did she still have feelings for me? I shook my head at my foolishness. She let me into that tight circle of her trusted ones (which only included Prim at that time), broke off with her best friend, fought with her mother, and went through daily insults and threats just to be with me, and I threw that all away.

I smacked my head when I remembered that tomorrow was the first day of filming.. with Katniss. Great, my life was turning into a soap drama.

"Cato?" a voice called out from the doorway. Glimmer's head popped into the bathroom and her mouth hung open at the sight of the scene. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I growled. Then, to make the matters worse, I saw Glimmer carrying her purchases from Abercrombie with Katniss and Finnick _almost _snogging. I bellowed in anger and snatched the bag away from Glimmer. I dumped the contents into a nearby Prada shopping bag and started ripping the bag up. After I was satisfied with Finnick's ripped face, I flushed it down the toilet, where he truly belonged.

Glimmer pursed her lips at my actions, but did not say anything. She humphed and stormed outside, leaving me to carry the bags around.. again.. However, I had a feeling that today's shopping trip was over, finally...

* * *

**Time Skip.. Next Day...**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of my alarm. I slammed it to make it shut up and repositioned myself to go back to sleep when I remembered that today was the first day of filming. I groaned and dragged myself out of bed.

I was getting ready for a shower when my phone started ringing. I checked the caller ID and saw that it was Peeta. Then, I remembered that he had offered to give me a ride. I picked up and smiled. "Hey," I whispered hoarsely.

"Morning, Katniss," he said cheerfully. "I'm outside of your front gates, but the gates won't open."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. I'll be there in a second." Truthfully, I had forgotten about Peeta's existence for the last couple of days. I had tripled the house security after the Finnick incident one of which included the gates. Usually, the gates would let ask the visitor for a code, but I upgraded it to a new system, which involved eye recognition. So far, the only two people who could open it was me and Prim.

After the machine scanned my eyes, the gates opened and Peeta drove into the driveway. "Paranoid much?" he asked playfully.

I smacked his arm. "I'll be ready in about fifteen minutes," I said, opening the front door that asked for a fingerprint, code, and a hair recognition.

I took a close look at Peeta. His clear, baby blue eyes lacked the usual playful twinkle. Maybe it was due to tiredness or...

"Don't worry about it," said Peeta, as if reading my mind. "I don't want this drama get in the way of our friendship. I smiled gratefully and gave him a hug. He patted my back and said, "If you don't hurry up, we're going to be late."

I smiled at him and ran upstairs. After taking a quick shower, I put on a white sundress and grabbed my sunglasses. I bounced downstairs and joined Peeta in the living room.

"Did you already eat breakfast?" I asked, walking over to the kitchen.

Peeta grinned sheepishly. "I thought maybe we could grab something at the plaza." When I didn't answer immediately, he quickly covered up, "If you don't want to, it's fine."

"I'd love to," I said, grinning at him. "Wait, I'm going to write a note for Prim and Clove." I scribbled a quick note telling them that I was going out to film and to have fun. I clicked the pen with a flourish and spun around to meet Peeta's eyes.

"Ready to go, my lady?" he said playfully, putting out his arm for me to hold.

"Of course, dear sire," I said, laughing as I formally accepted his arm. Peeta "escorted" me to his Lamborghini and opened the silver car door for me. I slid in giving him a warm smile.

He started the engine and turned to me, "So where do you want to go for breakfast?" he asked.

"Burger King!" I quickly replied. I haven't visited Burger King in a while due to Madge's protests, and I missed the place.

Peeta chuckled, "You're a bad example for Prim," he said shaking his head. "Normally sisters tend to encourage their siblings to eat healthier choices."

"Hey," I pouted, "fast food is perfectly healthy as long as you don't eat it too much."

"Whatever you say princess," said Peeta teasingly.

I rolled my eyes, and changed the topic. "How's your new song? I haven't heard it yet."

"Oh yeah," said Peeta, face palming himself, "I usually give you special privileges for my new songs." He started rummaging in his collection of CD's and took one out. He handed it to me. "Take a look at it."

The cover of the album looked fairly simple. I opened the plastic case and took out the CD that had the same design as the cover. I plugged the disk in the player and waited for the first song to play. There was a gentle introduction by the piano, then Peeta's soft voice came on.

_I met my princess on a clouded day in May._

_I was walking by, and my blue met your gray._

_I heard your voice singing, purer than any other_

_And baby I was goner.. lost in love with you._

_Maybe it was fate that brought us together_

_But baby one look at you and I knew I was a goner_

_I know that you don't feel the same, but as long as you're happy, _

_That's all I ask, all I want for you._

_I watch from the distance as you smile at your guy_

_my heart ripping at the thought that you'll never be mine._

_But I watch your smile and I know that you're in heaven_

_As long as you're happy, that's all I ask from you._

_Once upon a time, there was a boy who fell in love with a princess._

_Oooh he was blinded.. blinded by his love._

_The princess saw his smile and baby she was stuck._

_They rode off to the sunset.. riding in each other's arms._

_But why can't I have the same?_

_Why can't I ride off with you?_

_I watch you everyday even though it breaks me to pieces._

_But I know that you're happy... and that's all I want from you._

_I know that we will never be together_

_But let me at least be there forever_

_I'll be content knowing that I make you happy_

_Your smile is all I ask from you._

The song went on, making repeats and introducing new verses. I smiled and turned to Peeta. "That's such a sweet song," I said, "It'll be a huge hit."

Peeta smiled wistfully back at me. "The title is From You," he replied, "I wrote it with a special someone in mind."

"Who?" I asked curiously.

Peeta laughed softly, "Finnick did say that you'll take a long time," he said shaking his head. "I wrote it for you."

I looked at him with a stunned silence. "What? You wrote it for me?"

He nodded, "You don't have to say anything," he said quietly.

"Peeta.. I..." Luckily, I was saved by Burger King, which just happened to be 200 ft. away. Peeta parked in the corner under a shade and turned off the engine.

"Remember to grab your sunglasses," he said cooly as if nothing had happened. I took his advice and jogged to catch up with him. I looked up at him with puppy eyes, willing him to give me some kind of reaction. Peeta gave in and looked down sadly, then reached for my hand. I accepted it and gave it a reassuring squeeze of friendship.

"Friends?" I whispered.

"Friends," he whispered back, putting an arm around my shoulders. I looked at him happily, and leaned my head against his shoulders. Ignoring the stares from people, we walked to the cashier.

"One double whopper for me," ordered Peeta.

"Two triple whoppers for me, one with cheese, and the other without cheese," I said, reaching into my bag for my purse. I looked up and saw that both the cashier and Peeta were staring at me with their mouths open.

"Two triple whoppers?" asked the cashier hoarsely.

"Yes," I snapped a little harsher than I meant to, "do you have a problem with that?"

The cashier gave me a weird look and calculated the orders. I reached into my purse to pay, but Peeta was quicker.

"I wouldn't be a gentlemen if I let the lady pay, would I?" said Peeta playfully.

I huffed in annoyance. "I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own food."

"Well too bad," said Peeta, "anyways, how are you going to eat two triple whoppers? I thought you girls were all sensitive about calories and those stuff."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't believe in starving myself so I can get skinnier. I don't want to go on ridiculous diets at home, and prance around in public gushing about how people should be confident in their body and appreciate themselves and all the mush."

"I know that," said Peeta weakly, "but two triple whoppers?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Do you have a problem with that because I'll be more than happy to finish your double whopper, too."

Peeta sighed in resignation and picked up the order from the counter. "Whatever you want, princess. Just don't come crying to me when Madge starts yelling at you."

We walked back to the car and Peeta pulled down the roof of his convertible. The breeze was nice and there was peaceful moment of silence. "It's really nice here," I commented.

"Yeah," agreed Peeta, "sometimes I need that peace and quiet. Let's enjoy it while we can."

I nodded in agreement and chewed thoughtfully on my burger. It was really nice, just sitting back and relaxing in the shade, not worrying about a single thing. Even when I went to the beach resort, I was constantly worried about the public opinion. Did my bikini look okay? Is my hair perfect? Are my sunglasses out of style? Do my nails match with my outfit? Am I too close to the guy next to me? I felt like I was constantly being watched and judged by the public eye.

After finishing my meal, I wiped my hands on the napkin and sipped on the coke. I looked at Peeta and found that he was still not finished with his double whopper. "Well, someone is a slow eater."

Peeta looked at me with an exasperated look. "It's not my fault someone is a burger maniac." He finished his by stuffing the rest in his mouth. "Happy?" he choked out between chewing.

"Eww," I said, making a face, "don't talk when you're chewing or at least cover your mouth."

Peeta rolled his eyes at me. "It's not like you do it."

Realizing the truth of his statement, I glared at him in response. "Shut up," I muttered.

Peeta gave a victory chuckle. Glaring at him some more, I smacked his head. "Stop snickering and drive!" I commanded.

"Ow," he complained, rubbing his head. "Ever heard of solving problems peacefully without violence?"

"No," I retorted, snorting at his weakness.

We reached the entrance of the studio. I stared anxiously at the tall looming gray building that was casting a shadow over us. I spotted a few photographers here and there snapping some pictures, giving the studio it's respective place. "Here goes nothing," I whispered to myself. I got out of the car and Peeta followed suite. He put his hand on my shoulder and steered me to the plain glass doors.

"You'll be fine," he reassured.

I felt all my insecurities rushing at me in a big tidal wave. It hit me like a great blow, a reminder of what I was getting myself into. "But what if..."

Peeta pierced me with his gentle eyes. "Katniss," he interrupted, "I can't promise that this will be like any other movie shoot, but I know that you'll get through it. You're a strong person. Don't let something like him get in your way." He wrapped me into a tight embrace and I buried my head in his chest.

"Thanks, Peeta," I said, my voice muffled from his shirt.

"That's what I'm here for," he replied, a hint of a smile on his features.

Our eyes met, and I felt a rush of gratitude for the boy in front of me. He had always been there for me even when he didn't know my name. He was my rock, my link to my sanity, but still..

Peeta leaned in, and our lips met. The kiss was gentle and comforting unlike the angry one Finnick and I shared or the passionate one between me and Cato. Maybe that was what I needed now. Not another fire to dance with the forest fire already within me, but a gentle stream of water that would control the flames.

I put my hand on one of his cheeks and pulled away. Immediately, guilt clouded up in Peeta's eyes."I'm s-so sor-rry," he stammered, "I d-don't kn-now wha-t h-happened."

When I didn't answer immediately, he continued rapidly, "Please just give me a chance to be there for you. Just give us a try," he pleaded.

I smiled gently at him. "I would like that," I said softly.

"Really?" he asked hopefully. "Because I wouldn't mind kissing you again."

"Maybe later," I said, laughing softly as his face fell in disappointment. "but definitely again."

Peeta's face lit up and he asked shyly, "Dinner at my house tomorrow?"

I narrowed my eyes playfully, "Are you baking cheese buns?"

"Uh I don't know," he said with a glint in his eyes. When I growled at him, he pretended to jump back in fear. "In that case, I guess I'll have some ready."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Some?"

"Fine" Peeta laughed, "enough that you could eat till you drop."

I grinned at him. "That's more like it," I then remembered about Prim and Clove. "Is it okay if I bring over Prim and her friend?"

"Sure!" he said excitedly. "The more the merrier!"

I smiled at him, "See ya later then." I gave him a peck on the lips and stalked off, glancing back once to look at his reaction. He looked like the whole world had been given to me, his face lit up, brighter than the sun. I bit my lip making a firm promise to myself that I would not hurt my boy with the bread. _'But you hurt everyone that's close to you," _said a tiny voice in my head. I shook my head and pushed the door open to step inside the studio.

Little did I know that Peeta's blue eyes weren't the only ones that were staring at me at that moment. Little did I know that another pair of blue eyes, icy cold from anger were boring into me, seething as I walked into the studio.

* * *

**Hey :) The next chapter is Chapter 10 and I want to be able to do as many shout outs to my supporters as possible. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read the author's note on Chapter 5 xD. Thank you all so much! My list of names are getting longer~**

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	10. Chapter 10

**I know it's been like three million years since i updated... I can't express how sorry I am. Special thanks to Bellanator116 who snapped me out of my project-holic state of mind :) **

* * *

**Cato's POV**

As much as I wanted to grind Peeta's face and wipe that idiotic grin off his face, I quietly slipped in the glass doors minutes after Katniss.

_'Control you temper.' _I told myself. I couldn't afford to lose it in front of everyone. According to the world, Cato Ludwig didn't hang onto girls like a helpless puppy. Girls hung on to me, and not the other way around.

Perhaps I was being selfish by wanting what Katniss obviously didn't want. Maybe I should be more like Peeta with his cheesy morale, "As long as Katniss is happy, I'm happy." But I wanted her too much to let her slip through my fingers again.

* * *

**Katniss's POV**

I felt giddiness rising up inside me as I walked through the winding hallway. Peeta wasn't Cato; he would never shatter me like Cato did. Maybe I needed a relationship like this, soft and tender, not one full of lust and passion. Maybe I deserved some peace and quiet.

I wiped the thought from my mind and straightened my shoulders. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts. Right now, I had to concentrate on my career.

I stood up straight, put on a confident smile, and pushed the filming door open. According to the map, this was the main base, the room where no filming took place, but where everyone met on non-filming days. The place was full of people bustling around, trying to get some last minute work done. No one acknowledged my entrance; they were all too busy in their hectic minds, not that I minded of course. I spotted the director, Gary Ross leaned over on a desk, studying text on a piece of paper. Next to him was a middle aged man, who was talking urgently and gesturing with his hands.

I walked over to the little discussion and cleared my throat.

The two men stopped their conversation and looked up at me. They both smiled when they saw that it was me. "Nice to meet you Mr. Ross and Mr..." I trailed off not knowing the name of the man next to the director.

"Beaufoy," said the man, shaking my hand. "Simon Beaufoy."

I stretched my mouth into a wider smile and turned to the director shook his hand. He smiled widely at me and said, "The pleasure is mine, Miss Lawrence. And please call me Gary."

Hmm.. He was friendly... which was good. Last thing I needed was a stuck up, bossy director with anger management issues. "Call me Katniss," I replied warmly.

"The others are in the lounge waiting for everyone," he said, gesturing to a red door in the corner. "You can wait there with the others if you want."

"Thank you," I replied formally, "I'll see you later." I gave a tiny wave and walked towards the red door. I turned around to smile at them one more time, when I saw a familiar muscled body talking and shaking hands with them. Just when I had almost forgotten about him, he had to barge into my life again. I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists, and stomped into the lounge.

The lounge wasn't that luxurious, but looked fancy enough to accommodate the bustling amount of bodies already in the room. There was a coffee machine, which I wrinkled my nose at, and a hot cocoa machine, which I immediately dived for.

While the machine was processing the drink, I looked around the room to search for any familiar faces. I spotted Kelvin Drone, who I heard was going to be playing Jack, the male tribute from District 1. He had once done an action movie with me two years back. Talking to him was a petite girl that looked about Prim's age. She had dark skin and hair. She turned and met my eyes for a second, and I was filled with nausea. She looked so much like that last girl.. like that last victim.. the last person I had to attack for Snow. Could she be the same person? I shook my head at such ridiculous thoughts. Surely, she must be a look alike. A lot of people had dark skin and wide, brown eyes like hers.. right?

My past began rushing through my brain, and I could feel myself breathing faster and losing control. I closed my eyes and counted slowly to 10. _I am Katniss Everdeen. I am 17 years old. I have a younger sister named Prim. I am a singer and an actress. I was picked for the Jennifer Lawrence part in the movie, The Hunger Games. I'm going to go shopping with Clove and Prim tomorrow and go to dinner at Peeta's... _

I opened my eyes and my eyes landed on Cato who was staring at me curiously with a bit of... regret? When he saw that I was looking, his face immediately morphed into a smirk. To my horror, he started walking towards me, his eyes daring me to run away.

_'Run away!' _my brain screamed. My mind started screaming at me to move my legs and turn away, but I could do was stand frozenly at the approaching figure with a matching scowl.

Cato's smirk grew wider when he saw that I wasn't going anywhere. After what seemed like an eternity, he leaned casually on the counter and started examining his nails. "Your cocoa is ready," he said suddenly, making me jump up.

I turned around and saw a steaming cup of cocoa looking ready to be drunk. I grabbed it and wrapped two hands around the warm cup.

Cato looked up from his nails. "I expected you to run," he said huskily, his icy blue eyes boring into mine. "You've gotten... braver." He raised his eyebrows and flexed his muscles, his demeanor daring me to answer.

So he that's how he wanted to play. I smiled lazily, joining in on the game. "Yes," I replied, dragging the 's' in the word, "I've gotten stronger and less vulnerable." '_To people like you.' _I added in my brain.

"I see," he said cooly, repositioning his body.

"So how do you feel about this filming?" I asked, choosing my words carefully. I swirled my cup, trying to appear careless to his answer.

"Excited of course," he answered nonchalantly. "but a little irritated."

I looked up curiously. "Why is that?"

He smirked, "My time with Glimmer will be limited."

I stiffened for a moment, but relaxed myself forcefully, hoping that he didn't see my reaction. "Filming can be very time consuming."

"So I heard," he replied. "How will this affect your life Katniss?"

I saw where this is going. He was trying to lure me into saying that I was miserable and stressed out. Well, too bad, because I wasn't going to give him the pleasure. I smirked, "Not much. Peeta and I will have plenty of time to catch up at night." I emphasized the word, night, imposing a double meaning. I felt guilty that I was abusing my new relationship with Peeta, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I started sipping from my cup, waiting for Cato's reaction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cato stiffen with anger. "So," he growled. "he's taken you?"

"To where?" I asked innocently, once again implying the double meaning.

"You know what I mean." I grinned internally when I saw that Cato's face was turning red and his toes tightening, signs that he was extremely pissed off.

"Maybe," I said mysteriously. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking." I wasn't completely lying. Peeta did take me to Burger King, which Cato never did. We always went to

Carl's Junior, although I highly doubted Cato was talking about my burger choices.

I could see his cool facade melting away rapidly. A warning light was going off in my head, telling me to run away from Cato's tantrum that wasn't far away. I ignored it, too busy basking in my victory. "How long have you been dating him?" he asked with gritted teeth.

"Two days," I lied. "We wanted to keep it private."

"Better make it public then because people are thinking that you and Odair are together," growled Cato.

"I don't think we will," I replied with a snarky tone. "We are rather enjoying the privacy. He actually values and respects the relationship we share."

Now I could feel the heat radiating from the boy in front of me. "Are you saying that I didn't love you?" he half-shouted.

I stood unflinchingly at his anger. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," I said cocking my head innocently. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"You.. you.." he stammered, his eyes shooting flames at me.

I smirked at him. "What? Whore? Slut? Bitch? Like you called me 18 months ago?" I shook my head mockingly. "You don't get it do you? Maybe I'm happy with him. Maybe he is the one. Maybe I didn't ever love you." To avoid an awkward silence, I drained the last bit of cocoa and walked away. I threw the cup in the trash and grabbed the door handle, when the door flung open, and the director came in with a huge smile.

"Welcome!" he boomed, "let's head outside to discuss the next 9 months of our lives." His bluntness gained some chuckles from the audience.

The large mob inside the room bustled and spread out into the bigger studio. There were a few stragglers here and there who were finishing last minute, but to my relief, everything seemed to be in place. I just didn't have the patience to work with a crew that couldn't get things done.

The director clapped his hands. "Hi, as you all know, my name is Gary Ross and I'll be the director for the Hunger Games. We won't be doing any shooting for the first three days. We'll mostly concentrate on scripts, character personalities, props, and such." A woman that seemed to be in her twenties was going around passing out a packet of paper. As I flipped through the packet, I realized that this was the script for Scene One or the beginning of the movie. Only a few people were in it: me, Liam Hemsworth, Willow Shields, Paula Malcomson, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and to my frustration, Josh Hutcherson. "If you are not in Scene One, please follow Selene who will be telling you about your jobs today."

I moved towards the director and saw that only five others were with me. The girl who was going to be playing Willow Shields was missing. The others seemed to have noticed the absence because they started to look around in search of the girl. When it was clear that she was not present, we all snapped our heads towards the director, who was smiling mischievously.

"She wanted it as a surprise," he said simply. He turned towards the table with the long red tablecloth and called out, "You can come out now."

The tablecloth ruffled and underneath it came out... "Prim!" I yelled. "What are you doing here?" Prim straightened up and dusted her skinny jeans. Behind her, came out Clove who was trying her hardest to keep her smirk in.

I glared at the two figures that stood sheepishly in front of me. "What the hell?" I screamed. "You live 4 miles away from here? How did you get here?"

I glared furiously at the crowd that was staring amusedly at me. "Can someone explain what's going on here?"

The director laughed and put a hand on my shoulder. "No need to show us that infamous temper of yours, Katniss. They're here because I asked them too," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Prim, is going to be playing Willow Shields, Jennifer's sister. Clove is going to be playing Isabella Fuhrman, District Two's female tribute."

"But how?" I sputtered. "They didn't even try out. Or at least not Prim!"

Before the director could explain, Prim opened her mouth. "It was during camp," she squeaked excitedly. "Mr. Ross came in one day to inspect the camp, since he's one of the board members. He saw Clove throwing knives at the target and me making an herbal salve using alfalfa. He needed someone to play Isabella and Willow because none of the tryouts were satisfactory. So, he asked us, and we accepted."

"But who approved it?" I demanded. "You need contracts, agreements, approvals, insurance, and tons of other documents that need to be signed by your guardian, which would temporarily be me."

Clove smiled coyly at me. "You forgot that my dad is my legal guardian. And that, yes you are Prim temporary guardian; however, you're not of age, which gives Haymitch to approve all the documents you mentioned."

I rolled my eyes, frustration overwhelming me as I realized that I was never going to win this argument. "Fine," I grumbled. "You got me." Prim smiled sweetly at me and Clove's awaited smirk broke out.

The director clapped his hands. "All rightey then!" he said excitedly. "Let's get started!" As if on cue, three people popped out from a brown door behind us. The director turned to Clove, "You can join the others who are with Jane." Clove nodded curtly and walked to the big group in the corner.

The director turned to the new group of people. I recognized my physical trainer, Derrick, who helped me prepare for this movie. I heard that Jennifer is quite athletic and loves archery just like me. We didn't have a difficult time doing archery, but he said that getting me to stop eating burgers was the most difficult part.

"These will be your trainers," said the director. "Derrick will be getting you into shape. Anna here will take care of character personalization, presentation, and anything related to your character. Lisa will work out the best colors for each of you and input that in your costumes and makeup." We all shook hands with the three people and turned our attention back to the director. "You'll be in pairs, but one group will have three people." Immediately, I stepped closer to Prim, but he raised his hand. "No, I'll be choosing your partners," he said chuckling. A huge weight built up in my chest as I realized that possibly and most likely I would be paired up with Cato. Sure enough, he announced, "Prim, you'll be with Paula, your mother in the movie. Woody with Elizabeth and our special group of three will be, Liam, Cato, and Katniss."

I grumbled internally. Liam seemed like a nice guy judging by the warm smile he gave me, but seriously Cato? Couldn't these people understand that we weren't exactly on friendly terms?

Derrick approached us accompanied by two women, each with a clipboard. Derrick was a gigantic african american man with well toned muscles and a fierce expression. Despite his tough looks, inside he was gentler than a teddy bear, when he wasn't training me, of course. However, during training, his personality spun one eighty degrees. "Hey, guys," he greeted, "you're with me first for the first three hours."

He lead us opposite of the entrance, through the back door. The outside air was chilly, and I hugged my thin cardigan closer to my body. I shivered in the cold weather, and to make it worse, gusts of wind started to blow around us.

"Here," said a gruff voice, and I felt something big and warm thrown around my body. I turned around, and realized that I was wearing Cato's jacket. I looked at Cato and saw that he only had on a thin v-neck t-shirt.

"No thanks," I said cooly, reminded of our previous discussion. I saw Cato's fists clench in frustration.

"I insist," he said firmly. I studied his face, and saw that I was never going to win this argument.

"Thank you," I said softly. I walked on faster, trying to get as much distance between me and Cato. I was confused; one moment, we're fighting and few minutes later, he's giving me his jacket. I knew that Cato had a tendency to fight intensely with anyone he cared about. Maybe that was the reason he didn't have any close friends or family members. They all thought that he was purposely picking fights with them, in reality he just couldn't stand seeing them possibly getting hurt. Cato told me this on our second Christmas together.

...

_We huddled together, trying to fight the cold, biting air. We were in New York, where the majority of Cato's relatives lived. Not used to snow and the weather, I felt like I was being frozen to death._

_After much walking from the station, we finally arrived at the street of our destination. The big cream white house stood eerily in the moonlight, but I could see the friendly aura glowing from the window. _

_His arms around my waist, we stepped into the warm room. I could hear laughter and music coming from the living room. Cato took our coats and hung them on the red coat rack next to the doorway._

_I couldn't remember the last Christmas our family spent together. Every Christmas, my mother, Prim, and I stared longly at the doorway, hoping for my dad to appear in the doorway, like he promised every year he would try to do. There was no time or spirit for Christmas trees, decorating, gift exchanging, or feasting. My mother would stare blankly at the doorway, in her own little world, and Prim would be by her side holding her hand, not quite comprehending what was going on. _

_All conversation stopped when we stepped into the bright room. I spotted Cato's parents in a couch in the corner and Marvel laughing mischievously with his cousin, probably planning a prank on the adults. Most of the people in the room had the trademark Ludwig icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce me fiercer than the snow outside the house. _

_"Cato," said an old lady in a rocking chair near the fireplace. "We're so glad you could make it."_

_"I love you too grandma," he said, smiling gently at the old woman. All tension seemed to break at those words and everyone resumed their conversation._

_"They're not the friendliest people at first," he whispered to me. "But the fact that my aunt didn't snap at you yet means that they like you."_

_"They sound real friendly," I said sarcastically._

_Cato laughed and ruffled my hair. "C'mon, I want to show my family the love of my life."_

_He was right; they were friendly. At first, they seemed a little distant, if not a little hostile, but as conversation went on, they started opening up to me._

_Everything was going fine until we talked to Cato's cousin, Elisa. Elisa was the most beautiful person I had ever laid eyes on. With her waist length, wavy, honey blonde hair, big blue eyes, slim figure, long legs, and very developed curves, she was what most people called perfection. _

_"So Katniss," she asked playfully, "how do you manage to handle Cato?"_

_We began animately talking about Cato's odd quirks with Cato grumbling all through the conversation. We were just discussing Cato's choice of eggs when Elisa's phone rang. _

_Elisa's brows furrowed in worry as she listened to the other line. She bit her lip and answered, "I'll be there. Give me twenty minutes." She hung up and pocketed her phone._

_"What happened?" I asked._

_"My boyfriend, Dylan got drunk silly at this bar near the 13th Avenue," she answered worriedly, "All his friends are equally as drunk, but one of them was coherent enough to call me. I'm going to go pick him up."_

_I was about to wish her good luck when Cato blew up beside me. "What?" he screamed. "Are you out of your mind?"_

_"No, I'm perfectly sane," Elisa said cooly, packing up her things. By then, everyone was staring at the exchange._

_"Do you know how much rape and murder scenes happen near 13th Avenue? There are like at least two everyday in broad daylight!" Cato bellowed, his face turning red. _

_I touched his arm gently. "Cato, she'll be fine. Mark is going with her."_

_"Stay out of this," he snarled. I recoiled against his menacing glare and took a few steps back. _

_Elisa was heading to the door when Cato grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" she yelled. "Mark, start the car!"_

_Mark, Elisa's older brother started inching towards the front door. "Don't you dare," snarled Cato, "You wouldn't dare if you really care about Elisa."_

_Mark froze, his gaze moving from Elisa to Cato. Everyone held their breath, curious to see the outcome of the fight. Cato was violent and stubborn, but Elisa was even worse. Someone sneezed, and Cato's head snapped towards the sound. Using the distraction, Elisa bolted out the door. By the time, Cato dove to the curb, her car was already racing in the main street. _

_Cato threw a tantrum, ripping his hair out in anger. I could tell that this year's Christmas for the Ludwigs had gone out the window. _

_Cato didn't join us for dinner. It was silent and awkward; no one seemed to know what to do about the sound of smashing flower pots in the garden. After hearing him scream a particular offending sentence, Cato's dad stood up. "I've had enough," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry everyone.I'll take him back to the airport."_

_I stood up, a surge bravery rushing through my veins. "I'll go talk to him," I said firmly._

_"Are you sure?" asked Alana, Cato's aunt worriedly. "He can be.. violent when he's angry."_

_"Yup, he won't hurt me."_

_I stepped out into the garden, and gasped at the sight. There were cracked pottery every and tufts of flowers lay dejectedly on the ground. Cato was punching the poor fence that was crumbling against his fist. "Cato James Ludwig!" I screamed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

_Cato spun around to face me, his knuckles heavily bruised and his eyes in a bright shade of red. "Go away," he snarled nastily. "You have no idea what's going on."_

_I started to feel heat creeping up into my face. Cato thought that he had a temper; well, he never saw mine. "No idea?" I whispered. "Do you think I have no idea?"_

_"Yes!" he bellowed. "You're not worrying about how your cousin might possibly be murdered in the next thirty seconds!"_

_At those words, I felt my top blow off. "You think that I have no idea? Cato James Ludwig, you listen to me here and now, nice and clear!" I screamed, stabbing his chest with my finger. "I spend most of my life worrying about staying alive! I lived in the Seam near District 12 School. You think that 13th Avenue is bad? The Seam is a thousand times worse! I used to wander around at midnight to shop for groceries, pay bills, and do laundry because I didn't want people to know that my mother was useless and couldn't take care of her children! I used to worry everyday, every second about how Prim and I could be murdered any second and nobody would know or care!" I stopped to take a long breath. "I'm not saying that you shouldn't be worried about Eliza. You have every right to worry about her and protect her. I'm not saying that she won't be harmed because there is a possibility that she could be. I'm telling you to suck it up, deal with it, and stop ruining everybody's Christmas like a bastard you are acting right now." My chest heaving, I pointed to the door. "I want you to go inside right now, and apologize to everyone for being an idiot. NOW!" _

_Cato looked a little taken back at my outburst. His face contorted from anger, to worry, then to guilt. "I'm sorry," he whispered. _

_My face softened at his dejected look. "I understand," I said wrapping my arms around his sagged body. _

_He hugged me back and buried his face in my hair. "Sometimes I think that I care too much about the ones I love. I'm too protective of them. I don't realize that my protective outbursts are hurting them than anything else could. I'm pushing them away at the same time."_

_"I'm sure they'll forgive you if you apologize right now," I said, pulling away from the hug._

_Cato seemed to be in a thought for a moment, then his face contorted into his signature smirk. "Of course they will," he said in his normal, cocky tone. "Who wouldn't forgive a hot hunk like me?" He wiggled his eyebrows and stepped inside, leaving me behind to roll my eyes. _

_After exchanges of comforting words, hugs, kisses, and good wishes, Cato and I decided to cut our stay short and leave. Just before I closed the door, I heard Cato's grandmother whisper, "She'll be good for him."_

_The next day, Cato got a call that Elisa had been beaten up senseless and was in a coma in a hospital._

_..._

That's when our relationship started to become tense. After the call, Cato went into another fit, and this time I didn't stop him. That day, we fell asleep snuggled on the couch, with our arms wrapped around each other.

Our bond became stronger for the next 5 days, me helping him with his tantrums and being at his side while he visited Elisa, but started deteriorating on the sixth day. Cato seemed to be troubled, with a heavy weight on his shoulders.

One week and two days later, we split up.

* * *

Hey guys :) I know a lot of you wanted FinnickxKatniss, but I honestly, I don't know much about Finnick, and it was just easier for me to do Peeta. I hope you guys don't mind =^.^=

CHAPTER 10~ and that means I do personal shoutouts to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, PM, or anything like that for Chapter 9.. If you missed this one then the next one will be on Chapter 15 (there is a pattern) if I ever make it there at the speed I'm going at...

Some shoutouts are longer that others, but **THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT LESS**. I'm sorry that for the people that didn't review, but followed or favorited the fanfic, I put the same shout outs. I just couldn't think of anything else to say =^.^=

**hungergames713**- Thank you so much :) I'm glad that you like my fanfic :))))))))))

**Meeee054 (Guest)**- LOL don't worry.. Peeta and Katniss will just be a temporary thing.. if i don't change my mind...

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**Guest**-I hope the first confrontation in the studio isn't too disappointing because it's not packed with action/ Thanks for reviewing :)

**Guest**- I'll most definitely continue :) Let's just hope that I become faster at it though ^.^

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**Bellanator116**- Yeah, Katniss decided to give Peeta a try. Can't promise it'll be that way forever, but just for the moment.

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**thehungergamesemma**- Reviews like yours inspire me to update faster :)

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**vballhitter10**- Katniss does have a big appetite :) Thanks for reviewing continuously/ Your continuous support is what keeps me going =^.^=

**tama27**- You have no idea what it means to me when I see that someone is eagerly waiting for my updates :) Thank you ^.^

**The Infamous Zombie Slayer**- Thanks for following and favoriting Stardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing.

**CO COSH**- There are times when I write this fanfic that I feel like I'm being to evil towards Cato :) but as you said, it's his fault ^.^

**xxPeetaBreadxxx**-Thanks for following Stardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing

**minniemelol**- I hope I didn't let your hopes down this chapter :) Thanks for recommending Bliss but Harsh Life. I'm currently enjoying reading it ^.^

**priestessofma'at7**-Thanks for following me and Stardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing.

**ItsNanna**- I'll try updating ASAP/ Thanks for wishing me luck AND calling this fanfic cool ^.^

**DylanandMAx4eva-**Thanks for following Stardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing.

**Eloquence Deceptive**- I'm glad you liked the first chapter :) Thanks for reviewing ^.^

**xxxAdventuresInNeverlandxxx**- Thanks for following and favoriting Stardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing.

**jessiekatnisseverdeen**- Ikr ;) Katniss was a little burger deprived at the moment/ Thanks for reviewing and favoriting ^.^

- Thanks for following Stardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing.

**DedicatedWallflower**- Thank you for your review and encouragement :) Life's Puzzle was the first fanfic that I read on this site and it was the fanfic that got me addicted to Catoniss/ I'm glad that you like Stardom =^.^=

**THGfan12**-Thanks for following Stardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing.

**deedee102030-**Thanks for following and favoritingStardom! I hope to see more of you as I continue writing.

If you guys read your own personal shoutout put "HGRULES!" in your next review :))


	11. Important Author's Note

**To All My Awesome Readers,**

**I've been giving this a lot of thought for the past week and a half, and I have come to a decision. I am no longer continuing this fanfic, or at least will not update until I get my life straight. This was a really difficult choice for me, and I'm going to stick to my choice. I'm really sorry to all my readers. You all have supported me so much from the beginning, and I feel like I let you all down. **

**My reason is this: my life is a mess. I'm slacking off in school, my grades are slipping, my place in my math team is dropping from first to nearly last place, my brain is just muffled, the tension between my parents and I are growing, my friends say that I'm changing, and basically I'm a mess right now. **

**I'm ending all my social networking activities online like Facebook, Youtube, Google Chatting, etc. and I've come to a decision that unfortunately, I'm going to have to also pause Stardom. I'll continue to review other fanfics, but for some reason updating takes away a huge chunk of my time, and I can't afford that with the mountainous work I have. I promise to come back to this fanfic once I get my thoughts in order. Whether that will take 2 hours, 1 week, 3 months, 8 years, I really have no idea.**

**Thank you to everyone who has read this fanfic. I really, genuinely am sorry that I'm doing this, but I feel like this is something I have to do. Maybe this is too much to ask, but I hope when I come back, you guys will be as supportive as ever. You guys were truly the best. **

**Until Next Time, **

**Barbiecat16 **


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